Chapter 5 - Stripping the Fortress
At seven in the morning, the sun rose over the financial district of the city, casting sharp silver reflections off the glass facade of the Castillo Global Tower.
In the executive board room on the 50th floor, Gabriel Castillo was pouring himself a glass of twenty-year-old scotch. He was a handsome man in his late thirties, wearing a custom Italian suit, a smug, victorious smile playing on his lips.
The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open.
Gabriel turned, expecting his legal team. Instead, Alejandro walked in, flanked by Dante and three top corporate attorneys holding thick black leather binders.
"Alejandro!" Gabriel feigned a warm, sympathetic smile, setting his scotch down. "You look exhausted, brother. I heard there was some... dramatic disturbance at the estate last night? Something about a maid?"
Alejandro walked straight to the head of the boardroom table, pulling back the leather executive chair and sitting down.
"You always were a terrible actor, Gabriel," Alejandro said calmly.
Gabriel’s smile faltered slightly. He adjusted his silk tie. "Come now, brother. We don't have to make this personal. The emergency board meeting starts in twenty minutes. The board has reached a consensus. Given your emotional instability over the past three years searching for a ghost, we feel it’s time for you to step down as CEO."
"Where is Vivian?" Alejandro asked softly.
Gabriel shrugged dismissively. "I have no idea what Vivian does with her private time. She's an acquaintance."
"She’s currently in federal custody, Gabriel," Alejandro said. "She started talking two hours ago. In exchange for a plea deal, she surrendered your private encryption keys, your offshore bank routing numbers, and the full audio logs of the agreement you made with the Moretti syndicate to kidnap my wife."
Gabriel went stone quiet. The color slowly drained from his face until he looked like a corpse in a expensive suit.
"You're bluffing," Gabriel whispered, taking a step back toward his desk. "The board belongs to me!"
"Does it?" Alejandro gestured to his lead attorney, who opened a binder and slid a document across the table.
"As of 6:00 AM today," the attorney announced, "the Securities and Exchange Commission froze all voting shares registered to Gabriel Castillo due to ongoing criminal indictments for corporate espionage, human trafficking, and grand fraud. Mr. Alejandro Castillo currently controls eighty-two percent of the company's voting equity."
Before Gabriel could utter another word, the boardroom doors opened once more.
May you like
Four armed federal agents, accompanied by officers from the Major Crimes Division, marched into the room, their badges gleaming under the bright fluorescent lights.
"Gabriel Castillo," the lead agent declared, drawing a pair of steel handcuffs. "You are under arrest."
