Chapter 3: The Boardroom Avalanche
By 8:00 AM, the news hit. It wasn't just a rumor; it was a deluge.
Evelyn hadn’t just released the tax records; she had sent them to every major financial outlet in the country. By the time Victor walked into the lobby of his firm, he was met by news crews, not colleagues.
He pushed his way through the revolving doors, his suit rumpled, his tie askew. He had spent the night calling senators, calling bank executives, calling anyone who owed him a favor.
Nobody picked up.
He reached the elevator, only to find the "Out of Order" sign. He had to take the stairs. When he reached the 40th floor, the atmosphere wasn't the usual buzz of financial prowess. It was the silence of a tomb.
The Board of Directors sat around the mahogany table. They weren't looking at him with respect. They were looking at him with the cold, detached gaze of people preparing to cut a rotting limb off a body.
"Victor," the Chairman said, not even looking up from his tablet. "The SEC is in the lobby. Your assets have been frozen by the federal court. You are no longer CEO of Sterling Capital."
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"You can't do this!" Victor screamed, his voice cracking. "I built this company!"
"No," the Chairman said, pointing to the screen behind him, which displayed a picture of Evelyn Vance. "She built it. You were just a placeholder."
