Chapter 7 - Taking the Helm
Two days later, the glass towers of Titan Tactical Systems’ headquarters loomed over the city skyline, a monument to my father's life's work. The lobby was swarming with reporters, but this time, they weren't looking for a fraud. They were looking for the war hero who had just inherited a billion-dollar defense empire.
I walked through the glass sliding doors, flanked by David Miller and a team of forensic accountants.
The security guards immediately stood at attention. "Welcome back, Major Wright," the head of security said, his voice filled with newfound respect.
"Thank you, Marcus," I said. "Is the board assembled?"
"They’ve been waiting in the executive conference room for an hour, Ma'am. And... Curtis's personal assistant is currently packing up his office under security supervision."
"Good."
I rode the elevator to the top floor in silence. When the doors opened to the executive suite, I was met with a sea of anxious faces. The board of directors, men and women who had spent the last month trying to distance themselves from me, were now lining the hallway, looking terrified.
I walked past them without a word and entered my father’s old office.
It had been ransacked. Curtis had clearly been looking for something before the police arrested him. Files were scattered across the mahogany desk, and the safe in the wall was slightly ajar.
Sitting in the corner of the room, packing a cardboard box, was Sarah, Curtis’s assistant. She looked up as I entered, her eyes red and swollen.
"Major Wright," she whispered, dropping a stack of folders. "I... I didn't know. I swear I didn't know what Curtis was doing. He told me the second will was real."
I walked over to her. I knew Sarah. She had been with the company for five years, always working late, always loyal to my father.
"I know, Sarah," I said gently. "You don't need to pack your things. You’re not fired."
She blinked, tears spilling over her cheeks. "I'm not?"
"No. But I need to know everything Curtis did over the last six months. Every meeting he had, every off-the-books wire transfer, and every contract he signed. Can you do that for me?"
She nodded vigorously. "Yes. Yes, absolutely. He kept a private ledger in his personal safe at home, but he also had a secondary encrypted drive in this office. He thought I didn't know the password, but I saw him type it in once."
"Get me that drive," I said.
May you like
As Sarah left to retrieve the drive, David Miller walked in, his face grave.
"Victoria, we have a problem," David said, shutting the door behind him. "The forensic team just finished a preliminary sweep of Titan's active contracts. Curtis wasn't just siphoning money for himself. He was selling classified defense tech to foreign buyers."
