Chapter 8 - The Boardroom Execution and the Smiling Vipers
The morning of the board meeting arrived with a sky the color of a bruised plum.
Victor sat at the head of the mahogany table in the Atlantic Harbor headquarters,
sipping a cup of black coffee that had been tested for fourteen different toxins.
Across from him sat the board of directors—
twelve men and women who controlled billions,
all of them wearing expressions of practiced neutrality.
Julian Vane was absent,
officially 'on medical leave,'
but everyone in the room knew he was likely at the bottom of the Hudson or in a concrete basement.
"The merger with the terminal group is the primary item,"
one of the directors said,
a man named Halloway who had a penchant for expensive cigars.
"But we are concerned, Victor."
"Your health... it has been a topic of discussion."
Victor leaned back,
the sunlight catching the sharp angles of his face.
"My health is excellent, Halloway."
"In fact,"
"I’ve never felt more clear-headed."
"I’ve spent the last forty-eight hours reviewing the audit trails of our recent acquisitions."
"It’s amazing what you find when you stop taking the 'vitamins' your doctor recommends."
The room went silent.
The air grew heavy with the weight of unspoken accusations.
"I’ve found that someone has been leaking our shipping manifests to the Meridian Syndicate,"
Victor continued,
his voice a calm,
deadly monotone.
"Someone who wanted the stock price to drop so they could buy in low before the merger."
"Someone who thought I wouldn't notice a crooked label on a pill bottle."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the orange bottle I had found.
He set it on the table with a sharp 'clack.'
"This,"
he said,
"is a death warrant."
"And I’m here to decide whose name goes on it."
Just then,
the doors opened,
and I stepped into the room.
I wasn't wearing my maid’s uniform.
Victor had sent a stylist to the safe house,
and I was dressed in a charcoal grey suit that made me look like an attorney,
not a woman who scrubbed floors.
I carried a leather portfolio containing the printouts from the dark web and the blue pills Emily had found.
"This is Elena,"
Victor said,
his eyes never leaving Halloway’s face.
"She is the head of my new private security and intelligence wing."
"And she has some very interesting data on our shareholders."
I felt the eyes of the vipers on me,
searching for a weakness,
a crack in my armor.
I opened the portfolio and began to read the names and the account numbers.
As I spoke,
I watched Halloway’s face turn from arrogant to terrified.
"The transfer of three million dollars was made from a Meridian-linked account to a trust in your name, Mr. Halloway,"
I said,
my voice steady despite the roaring in my ears.
"The date of the transfer matches the day Dr. Pierce began the 'medication adjustment' for Mr. Russo."
Halloway stood up,
his chair scraping harshly against the floor.
"This is an outrage!"
"You’re listening to a servant?"
"A woman who was hired to clean toilets?"
"I am listening to a witness,"
Victor said,
standing up to meet him.
"And I am listening to the evidence."
Suddenly,
the lights in the boardroom flickered and died.
The emergency sirens began to wail.
"Security!"
Halloway screamed.
But the men who burst through the doors weren't Victor’s guards.
They were wearing tactical gear with no insignias.
They didn't come to arrest anyone.
They came to finish the job.
"Elena, get down!"
Victor shouted,
tackling me to the floor as a hail of glass shattered above our heads.
The Meridian Syndicate wasn't waiting for the board to vote.
May you like
They were liquidating the company.
One bullet at a time.
Related Stories
