Chapter 8 - The Price of Treason
By 8:00 AM, the storm had finally passed, leaving the city washed in a cold, clean winter light. The grand boardroom of Whitfield Harbor Group was filled with twenty-two members of the executive board, all sitting in stunned silence.
At the head of the table sat Thomas Sterling. He looked smug, holding a gold pen, ready to sign the final papers for the Northline acquisition.
"Well, Marcus," Sterling smiled, leaning back in his leather chair. "You missed the lunch yesterday, and your shares have dipped two points due to the rumors of your... domestic distractions. I believe the Northline deal defaults to Sterling Logistics by noon."
The double doors of the boardroom swung open.
Marcus walked in, dressed in a flawless charcoal suit, completely unmarked by the violence of the night. But he wasn't alone. Behind him walked the District Attorney of Western Washington, followed by four federal agents carrying boxes of seized documents from Haven Bridge.
The ExposureMarcus didn't take his seat. He stood at the head of the table, looking down at Sterling.
"The Northline deal is dead, Thomas," Marcus said quietly. "And so is your freedom."
Renee hit a button on the wall console, and the massive projection screens lowered. Instead of financial spreadsheets, the screens displayed the full forensic audit of Haven Bridge, the DNA match reports for Wren and Milo, and the signed video confession of Director Caldwell.
"Thomas Sterling," the District Attorney announced, stepping forward with an arrest warrant. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit kidnapping, corporate extortion, interstate wire fraud, and illegal financial manipulation of an estate heir."
The room erupted into chaos. Board members stood up, shouting and scrambling to distance themselves from Sterling. The rival billionaire’s face turned an ugly, mottled red as the federal agents stepped forward, forcing his hands behind his back and clicking the cold steel handcuffs into place.
Sterling looked at Marcus, his teeth bared in fury. "You think you won, Whitfield? Your precious Iris is gone! You're left with two broken orphans and a company that hates you!"
Marcus looked at him without an ounce of anger. "My children are home, Thomas. And you are going to spend the rest of your life in a concrete cell."
May you like
As Sterling was dragged out, Marcus turned his eyes to Adrian Voss, who was sitting at the far corner of the table, his head down.
"Adrian," Marcus said softly. "Your resignation is accepted. Your trial begins next week."
