Chapter 8
Alondra slapped her leather folder onto the mahogany table. The sharp smack echoed in the silent room.
Isai stood up abruptly, leaning heavily over the table. He pressed his knuckles into the mahogany, trying to use his larger physical frame to loom over her and project dominance. "What do you think you're doing? That seat is for the SVP. Move to the back."
Alondra leaned back in the chair. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared him down. "And as the new Senior Vice President, I am sitting exactly where I belong."
She slid the paper Gardner had signed down the center of the table.
Isai snatched it up. His eyes scanned the signature. The blood drained from his face, leaving him pale and sweating.
The executives exchanged shocked looks. No one dared to speak.
Isai swallowed hard. He threw the paper back down and dropped into his chair. He forced a tight smile. "Fine. Let's review the SegaCorp acquisition."
He grabbed a remote and turned on the projector. A complex financial model appeared on the screen.
Isai started talking fast, throwing out heavy financial jargon-EBITDA, leveraged buyouts, synergistic asset stripping. He kept glancing at Alondra, waiting for her to look confused.
Alondra sat perfectly still. Her index finger tapped a steady rhythm against the table.
When Isai clicked to slide three, showing the capital allocation, Alondra held up her hand.
"Stop," she commanded.
Isai paused. "Is the math too complicated for you?"
"Explain the due diligence fees," Alondra said, her voice cutting through the room like a knife. "They are three hundred percent over the industry standard."
The room went dead quiet. Isai's neck flushed red. Sweat formed on his upper lip.
"We... we hired a top-tier offshore firm to ensure absolute security," Isai stammered, rubbing his hands together nervously.
Alondra stood up. She walked to the front of the room, reached behind the laptop, and yanked Isai's USB drive out. She plugged her own silver drive in.
The screen flashed. A detailed spreadsheet appeared.
Alondra picked up the laser pointer. The red dot circled three company names.
"These are shell companies registered in the Cayman Islands," Alondra stated clearly. "The excess fees were routed directly into these accounts. Accounts that, according to these bank records, are controlled by your mother's maiden name trust."
Gasps erupted around the table.
Isai jumped up, knocking his chair backward. "You're lying! You forged those documents!"
Alondra walked back to the table. She pulled out a stack of printed bank statements and tossed them to the senior board members.
The directors looked at the routing numbers. Their faces hardened in disgust.
Isai's knees gave out. He collapsed back into his chair, staring blankly at the table.
Alondra stood up slowly, her movements fluid and utterly unbothered. She crossed her arms elegantly over her chest, standing perfectly straight as she looked down at Isai's panicked eyes with the imperious grace of a reigning queen.
"As SVP, I am stripping you of all authority regarding SegaCorp," Alondra announced. "And I am ordering an immediate internal audit of every project you touch."
Isai looked around desperately, but the directors turned their heads away. Gardner's proxy nodded in agreement with Alondra.
Alondra didn't even grant Isai a second glance. She turned her sharp gaze to the corner of the room. "Heath," she commanded, her tone absolute. "Contact the legal department and corporate security immediately. Have Isai Lang detained on the premises and hand him directly over to the authorities for corporate embezzlement." Isai let out a pathetic whimper, but no one moved to help him.
"Meeting adjourned," Alondra said.
She picked up her folder and walked out the door.
In the hallway, a tall, sharp-looking man in a gray suit stepped forward. He handed her a glass of room-temperature water.
"Excellent work, Ms. Lang," he said respectfully. "I'm Heath Mooney, your new executive assistant."
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