Chapter 14 - The Final Audit
Elena took a seat at the opposite end of the long conference table, placing her leather folio flat on the wood. Arthur Vance stepped forward, distributing thick bound dossiers to every board member and the Vanguard executives.
"What you hold in your hands," Elena stated, her voice cutting through the suffocating silence, "is the forensic audit of Sterling Enterprises over the past five fiscal years. It details forty-seven shell corporations established in the Cayman Islands under Kevin Sterling’s sole authority, funneling over eighty million dollars away from our research budgets."
Murmurs of shock and outrage rippled across the table as board members frantically flipped through the bank statements and forged wire transfers.
"She’s lying!" Kevin slammed his fist onto the table. "She fabricated those records after she stole the company’s core tokens!"
"I didn't fabricate the audio file transmitted from my bedroom last night at 11:15 PM," Elena countered smoothly, looking Kevin dead in the eyes. "Nor did I fabricate the security camera feed from Sub-Basement 3 at 4:30 this morning, where you openly admitted to tampering with my father’s vehicle prior to his death."
The room went dead silent. Evelyn Cross closed her folder with a sharp, decisive snap. She stood up, looking at Kevin with unmasked disgust.
"The Vanguard Group hereby rescinds all offers of acquisition," Cross said coldly. "Furthermore, our legal team will be filing a formal notice of fraud with the Securities and Exchange Commission within the hour."
"Evelyn, wait!" Kevin pleaded, stumbling around the table toward her. "We can renegotiate the terms! I have the physical patents!"
"You have nothing, Kevin," Arthur Vance intervened, holding up a certified court injunction. "The original patents were registered under the Thorne Memorial Trust. Elena is the sole surviving trustee. Your signature is null and void."
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Two federal marshals stepped forward, their badges gleaming under the boardroom lights. "Kevin Sterling, you are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, corporate fraud, and grand larceny."
Kevin backed away, his eyes wild, looking around the room for an ally, a friend, an escape. But every single person at that table looked away from him.
