Chapter 5
Thursday, 10:00 AM. The 34th floor of Global Enterprise smelled of imported cologne and predatory anticipation.
The boardroom was packed. Evelyn Thorne sat at the head of the glass table—Ignacio's former seat. Marcus Webb sat to her right. Surrounding them were the major shareholders, including Diana Reeves and several ruthless executives ready to carve up the empire.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Evelyn began, her voice projecting authority. "Due to the unfortunate mental decline of our former CEO, the board has taken emergency action. We are here to officially ratify the sale to Marcus Webb’s conglomerate and restore order to this company."
"All in favor?" Webb asked smoothly, raising his pen.
Before a single hand could go up, the slow, hydraulic exhale of the heavy glass doors swinging wide cut through the room.
Everyone turned.
Ignacio Ferrer walked in, wearing a sharp, dark suit, his posture radiating absolute dominance. Right beside him walked Tomás Villalba, holding not a mop, but a sleek black briefcase. Behind them were two federal agents from the SEC and Richard Holt.
"Security!" Evelyn shrieked, standing so fast her chair tipped backward. "Guards, remove them immediately!"
The security guards by the elevator stepped forward, but the SEC agents flashed their badges. The guards froze, stepping back into the shadows.
"The meeting is over, Evelyn," Ignacio said, his voice carrying easily across the room. He walked straight to the table, staring down the woman who had betrayed his father.
"You have no authority here, Ignacio!" Webb snapped, his face flushing red. "You are locked out!"
"I don't need authority, Marcus," Ignacio replied coldly. "Because I'm not the one making the decisions anymore. I'm just here to translate for the majority shareholder."
Ignacio stepped aside, allowing Tomás to approach the table.
Tomás didn't rush. He stopped at the corner nearest the door, looking directly at Webb. "Twenty-five years ago, Marcus, you ran me off a road in Pennsylvania. You thought you buried the truth. But you only buried the man I was. You forgot that I kept the receipts."
Tomás clicked the briefcase open and pulled out a thick stack of documents. He slid them smoothly down the length of the glass table. They stopped right in front of Diana Reeves.
"Diana," Ignacio said loudly. "Marcus Webb is currently using your Boston private equity funds to launder nine billion dollars through offshore shell companies. The proof of the wire fraud, signed by Evelyn Thorne, is right in front of you."
The boardroom erupted into absolute chaos.
Diana Reeves snatched the documents, her eyes darting over the bank transfers. Her face went pale, then turned into a mask of pure, unfiltered rage. She looked up at Webb.
"You stole from my firm?" she whispered, her voice trembling with fury. She grabbed her phone, turning it off speaker this time. "Call the FBI director. Now."
"It's a forgery!" Webb screamed, panic finally breaking his polished facade. He lunged across the table to grab the papers, but an SEC agent grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him back into his chair.
"Marcus Webb, Evelyn Thorne," the agent said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "You are under arrest for conspiracy, wire fraud, and corporate embezzlement."
Evelyn's mouth opened and closed like a fish suffocating on dry land. As the agents pulled her hands behind her back, she stared at Ignacio, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief.
Ignacio looked at her with the flat patience of a man who had already decided the outcome.
"I told you," Ignacio said quietly, evenly, making sure the whole room heard it. "He wasn't just a janitor."
As Webb and Evelyn were dragged out of the boardroom in handcuffs, the remaining investors scrambled out, shouting into their phones. Within minutes, the massive room was empty, save for Ignacio and Tomás.
May you like
The silence settled over the room in a different way. The poison had been drawn out. The war was over.
Ignacio looked at the empty chairs, the crystal glasses, the sprawling skyline. It was small from up here. But for the first time in his life, he didn't want it to be small anymore.
