chapter17
Chapter 17: The Boardroom Battlefield
The executive boardroom was packed. The tension was suffocating. Julian Sterling sat at the opposite end of the massive glass table, surrounded by his high-priced corporate litigators. He looked pale, but desperate, like a cornered animal ready to bite.
The heavy doors opened.
Leo Calderon walked in alone. He carried only a single manila folder.
He took his seat at the head of the table, the chair traditionally occupied by his mother. He looked down the length of the glass at Julian.
"Where is Isabella?" Julian demanded, his voice slightly higher than usual. "She's too much of a coward to face her own defeat?"
"My mother is absent because she does not concern herself with matters that have already been resolved," Leo stated, his voice ringing with absolute, chilling authority.
He opened the folder.
"Before we proceed to the proxy vote regarding the liquidation of the Calderon Foundation," Leo addressed the room, "I have a separate matter of business to conduct with Mr. Sterling."
Leo slid a single sheet of paper down the smooth glass table. It came to a stop right in front of Julian.
It was a summary of the illegal pension transfers.
Julian looked down at the paper. His arrogant facade shattered instantly. His breath hitched, and his hands began to tremble violently.
"You... you can't have this," Julian stammered, terror completely consuming him. "This is highly encrypted."
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"There is no lock I cannot break to protect this house," Leo said coldly.
The room fell dead silent. The other board members looked between the young heir and the terrified venture capitalist, sensing a massive shift in gravity.
