Chapter 4 - The Audit
The penthouse suite at the Vance International Headquarters in downtown Boston was bathed in the warm, golden glow of soft floor lamps.
I sat on a plush velvet sofa, wearing a warm cashmere robe, sipping hot chamomile tea while a private physician checked my vital signs and performed a quick ultrasound.
The soft, rhythmic sound of my daughter's heart filled the quiet room.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
"Mother and baby are perfectly healthy, Ms. Vance," Dr. Aris said with a warm, reassuring smile, turning off the monitor. "The cold shock caused a brief spike in heart rate, but her vitals are completely stable. She's a fighter."
"She’s a Vance," I murmured softly, resting my hand on my stomach. "Thank you, Doctor."
When the physician left, Arthur entered the room, carrying three leather-bound dossiers and a secure laptop. He set them on the marble coffee table before taking a seat opposite me.
"The board of directors was convened twenty minutes ago, Cassidy," Arthur reported, his face grave. "When news broke that Protocol 7 had been initiated by the mysterious principal owner, the stock plummeted four percent in after-hours trading. But once I confirmed that you were stepping out of the shadows to assume the Executive Chair, the stock bounced back by eleven percent."
"What about the Morrison audit?" I asked, taking a sip of my tea.
Arthur opened the first dossier. "It’s worse than we anticipated. Over the last three years, Brendan has diverted over twelve million dollars from the regional infrastructure accounts into personal shell companies in Panama. He wasn't just living off his salary, Cassidy. He was actively looting your company to fund his mother's lifestyle and buy luxury apartments for his mistress."
A cold smile touched my lips. "Did he think I would never notice?"
"He thought you were a fool, ma'am," Arthur said plainly. "He assumed the anonymous owner was an elderly recluse in Europe who never checked the regional books. He mistook your quietness for ignorance."
"Then let us educate him," I said, setting my teacup down with a quiet clink. "File full criminal charges with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for corporate fraud, money laundering, and grand larceny."
"Already prepared," Arthur replied. "The arrest warrants will be signed by ten o'clock tomorrow morning."
"What about the rest of the family?"
Arthur pulled out the second dossier. "Diane Morrison has three hundred thousand dollars in personal debt tied to high-end boutique stores and country clubs, all backed by Brendan’s corporate guarantee. Now that his account is frozen, those creditors are already triggering default clauses. Her personal assets will be seized by Wednesday."
"And Jessica?"
"Jessica Miller," Arthur chuckled dryly. "She’s not just Brendan’s girlfriend. She’s the daughter of Richard Miller, the CEO of Miller Logistics—one of our major regional shipping contractors. Richard Miller was planning to use Jessica’s relationship with Brendan to secure an exclusive fifty-million-dollar transport contract with Vance International next month."
I leaned back against the plush velvet, my eyes narrowing. "So Jessica wasn't just mocking me for fun tonight. She was securing her father's empire."
"Precisely," Arthur nodded. "Richard Miller has no idea his daughter just helped insult the woman who holds his company's entire financial future in her hands."
I reached for my phone, tapping the screen to bring up the master corporate directory.
"Schedule an emergency vendor review meeting for eight-thirty tomorrow morning," I commanded softly. "Invite Richard Miller, Brendan Morrison, and his mother. Tell them the new Chief Executive Officer wishes to discuss the future of their contracts in person."
May you like
Arthur smiled—a thin, dangerous line. "They still don't know you are the principal owner in person, Cassidy. They think Arthur Pendelton is taking over."
"Good," I said, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the sparkling city skyline below. "Let them walk into the boardroom thinking they can negotiate. I want to see the exact moment their world turns to ashes."
