Chapter 3 - The Investor Meeting
The boardroom was cold, the air thick with the scent of expensive cologne and anxiety. Derek sat at the head of the table, his demeanor shifting into that of a visionary leader. Marlene sat to his right, playing the role of the devoted mother-in-law.
I sat at the far end, my face still throbbing, a thin veil of makeup barely hiding the swelling.
"Our growth this quarter is unprecedented," Derek announced, clicking through a slide deck that was filled with fabricated projections. "We’ve optimized our supply chain, cut overhead, and consolidated our administrative costs. The firm is leaner, faster, and more profitable than ever."
The investors nodded, impressed by the numbers. They were looking at the surface, never suspecting that the "lean" operations were actually massive embezzlement schemes.
Then, the lead investor, Mr. Sterling, turned his gaze toward me. "And you, Elena? You were quite involved in the early years of the company. Does this transition meet your standards?"
Derek stiffened, his eyes darting to me with a silent, lethal warning.
I looked down at the table, my hands trembling—a performance that appeared as grief, but was actually the suppression of pure, unadulterated rage. I looked up at Mr. Sterling, my eyes glassy.
"The company... it’s not what it once was," I said, my voice barely a whisper. I let the silence hang, letting them interpret it as a widow’s inability to cope. But I added, almost as an aside, "The financial structures are very... creative now. I’m sure the audit will show just how innovative Derek has been."
The room went silent. Derek’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second. "She’s still grieving," he laughed nervously. "She doesn't quite understand the complexity of modern accounting."
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I gave a small, defeated shrug and looked away. I had planted the seed. I had introduced the word audit into the conversation, and in the world of high-stakes construction, the mention of an audit by a former forensic accountant was a siren blaring in the dark.
I saw Mr. Sterling lean over and whisper something to his associate. The seed of doubt was sown. My trap was set.
