Chapter 16 - The Trap is Set
The executive boardroom hummed with tense anticipation as the clock struck 8:00 AM. Marcus Sterling sat near the center of the mahogany table, looking unusually confident, adjusting his tie with a smug smirk while whispering to a legal associate he had brought along as an unannounced guest.
I walked into the room, flanked by Arthur Bennett and Marcus Vance, taking my seat at the head of the table without a word. I opened my portfolio, sliding a pristine white folder in front of me.
“Good morning, everyone,” I began, my voice calm and steady. “Before we review our standard quarterly projections, we have a minor housekeeping item regarding unauthorized share accumulation and internal compliance breaches.”
Marcus Sterling’s smirk faltered slightly, but he quickly recovered, leaning back in his chair with a patronizing chuckle. “With all due respect, Ms. Hart, unless this item concerns approved corporate expansion, some of us have pressing shareholder meetings to attend.”
“You won’t need to attend any shareholder meetings after today, Mr. Sterling,” I replied smoothly. I nodded to Marcus Vance, who connected his tablet to the main projection screen.
Instantly, the projector flashed a series of encrypted email transcripts, phone logs, and wire transfer receipts connecting Marcus Sterling directly to Victoria Vance and the Horizon Peak shell company.
“This—this is an invasion of privacy! These documents were obtained illegally!” Sterling shouted, leaping to his feet, his face turning a furious shade of crimson as the other board members stared at him in stunned betrayal.
“They were obtained through a routine internal cybersecurity audit authorized by the majority shareholder,” I said coldly, locking eyes with him. “You leaked confidential board memos and proprietary financial projections to an outside hostile entity in an attempt to destabilize Meridian’s stock.”
Sterling’s legal associate scrambled to open his briefcase, stammering frantically. “Mr. Sterling denies these allegations! We will file an immediate injunction for defamation and—!”
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“You won’t be filing anything except a guilty plea,” I interrupted, pulling a certified federal subpoena from my folder and sliding it across the table. “At 7:45 AM today, the SEC and federal investigators issued a warrant for insider trading and corporate espionage against both Marcus Sterling and Victoria Vance. Federal marshals are waiting in the lobby right now.”
Sterling collapsed back into his chair, his color draining entirely as the heavy boardroom doors opened and two federal agents stepped inside.
