Chapter 8 - The Exposure
Arthur Vance stepped up to the main projector console and plugged in a secure USB drive.
The massive floor-to-ceiling screens behind the board of directors flashed to life.
Instead of financial spreadsheets, audio waveforms appeared on the screen, accompanied by clear, crisp digital playback.
—PLAYBACK START—
Julian Croft’s voice: "If we leak a story claiming that Malcolm Reed kidnapped the daughter of his old enemy... the stock will crash fifty percent by Friday."
Richard Vance’s voice: "And when the stock crashes, we can buy up the panicked shares for dirt cheap and take control of the firm!"
Julian Croft’s voice: "Exactly. Call your contacts at the Boston Chronicle. I want the front-page story printed tomorrow morning."
—PLAYBACK END—
The auditorium exploded into utter chaos.
Shareholders stood up, shouting obscenities at Julian Croft and Richard Vance. Journalists scrambled to broadcast the live recording across global news networks.
Julian sat frozen in his chair, his face completely drained of color, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"That... that's a fake!" Julian stammered, his hands shaking wildly as he looked at the angry crowd. "That's an AI generation! It's illegal wiretapping!"
Evelyn Reed, Malcolm’s chief legal counsel, stepped onto the stage holding a stack of court documents.
"It is not illegal wiretapping, Mr. Croft," Evelyn spoke into the microphone, her voice crisp and lethal. "That recording was made legally by federal investigators from the Securities and Exchange Commission, who have been monitoring your offshore trading accounts for three months."
Two federal agents in dark suits walked out from the wings of the stage, marching directly toward Julian Croft and Richard Vance.
"Julian Croft, Richard Vance," the lead agent announced, pulling out pair of silver handcuffs. "You are under arrest for federal securities fraud, insider trading, and corporate conspiracy."
The crowd cheered loudly as the two disgraced executives were cuffed and escorted off the stage in front of hundreds of live news cameras.
Malcolm stepped back up to the podium, looking out at the cheering room. He turned to Clara, extending his hand.
Clara walked up beside him, standing proud and strong beneath the bright lights.
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"The Brockton Reinvestment Initiative will proceed immediately," Malcolm declared into the microphone, his voice echoed with triumph. "And Clara Murphy will serve as its Executive Director, with full authority over a two-hundred-million-dollar community fund."
The entire convention center stood up, giving Malcolm and Clara a deafening standing ovation.
