I didn’t panic. Panic was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
By midnight, my war room was fully operational. Margaret had Derek’s testimony drafted. Priya had the financial evidence packaged into a presentation that even a first-year law student could follow. James had contacted every friendly shareholder to confirm their attendance.
Roman arrived at 1 a.m. with two cups of coffee and a flash drive.
“What’s on it?” I asked.
“Victor’s communications with Gerald Foss going back eighteen months. Emails, texts, recorded phone calls. My people obtained them through Foss’s former assistant — she quit last month and was more than happy to cooperate.”
I plugged in the drive. The contents were devastating. Victor had been coordinating with Foss to inflate and then crash Blackwell Industries’ stock, timing the manipulation to coincide with key board decisions.
“This is securities fraud,” Margaret said, reading over my shoulder. “Clear, documented, undeniable securities fraud.”
“It’s enough to get Foss removed from the board and potentially arrested,” Priya added. “Which means his vote is invalidated.”
I turned to Roman. “If Foss’s vote is thrown out and Derek votes with us —”
“You have a supermajority. The acquisition is locked. Victor can’t touch it.”
For the first time in days, I felt something loosen in my chest.
But Roman’s expression remained guarded. “There’s a complication.”
Of course there was.
“Victor filed a motion to have the meeting held at a neutral location — the Hale Industries conference center in Midtown. The judge approved it an hour ago.”
James swore under his breath. “He wants us on his turf.”
“It’s a power play,” Roman said. “He wants to intimidate the board members. Surround them with his people, his security, his atmosphere.”
I stood, pacing the length of the room. “Then we show up with something he doesn’t expect.”
“Which is?”
I looked at Roman. “Everything. We walk in with the financial evidence, Derek’s testimony, Foss’s communications, and the audio recording. We don’t hold anything back. We put it all on the table and let the board decide.”
“The recording may not be admissible in court—”
“This isn’t court. It’s a shareholder meeting. The rules of evidence don’t apply. We just need the board to hear Victor Hale, in his own words, admitting to market manipulation.”
Roman considered this. Then he nodded slowly. “It’s aggressive.”
VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABEL
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Emerald Heiress (Aurelia)