Chapter 9 - The Boardroom Execution
At 4:00 PM, the grand boardroom on the top floor was filled with thirty senior board members, major institutional investors, and legal counsel.
I sat at the head of the massive mahogany table, wearing the Pendelton diamond crest. Beside me sat Arthur Pendelton.
The double doors swung open. Security led Julian and Chloe into the room.
Julian looked broken. His tie was undone, his hair disheveled, his face pale and sunken. Chloe walked behind him, her hands folded tightly across her stomach, weeping quietly under the cold, judgmental stares of thirty global executives.
"Members of the board," Arthur Pendelton announced, his deep voice carrying across the silent hall. "Madam CEO Evelyn Pendelton Vance has concluded her preliminary audit of this regional subsidiary."
Arthur gestured toward the large projector screen at the front of the room.
A detailed forensic breakdown of the $4.2 million embezzlement scheme appeared on the screen, alongside high-resolution photographs of Chloe Thorne wearing company-funded jewelry, luxury resort receipts, and wire transfer logs.
The board members broke into outraged murmurs.
"President Julian Vance," Arthur continued, his voice sharp as a razor, "is hereby terminated from his position as President and Director, effective immediately, for gross misconduct, embezzlement, and breach of loyalty."
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Julian collapsed into a chair near the back of the room, covering his face with his hands.
"Furthermore," Arthur added, "criminal charges have been filed with the federal prosecutor’s office. A warrant for the arrest of Julian Vance and Chloe Thorne has been issued."
