Chapter 9 - The Reckoning in the Boardroom
The top floor of the Cole Industries skyscraper looked out over the entire city of St. Louis. The boardroom was filled with twenty men and women in dark suits, their faces grim as Ethan walked in at exactly 12:05 p.m. His shirt was changed, but he wore no tie, and his jaw was set in stone.
Julian Vance sat at the end of the long mahogany table, a smug smile on his face. "Ethan. Glad you could join us. We were just about to finalize the vote. The instability of your recent behavior has left the board with no choice."
Ethan didn't sit down. He walked to the head of the table, plugged the flash drive into the central projector system, and hit play.
The audio recording of Julian Vance from seven years ago filled the room, his voice clear and venomous as he detailed the plan to ruin Clara Brooks and steal her life's work. The board members looked from the screen to Julian, their faces shifting from professional indifference to absolute horror.
"This is an old fabrication," Julian stammered, standing up, his hands shaking as he gripped the table. "A deepfake generated by a desperate man trying to keep his position."
"The file carries a federal digital signature from the late Clara Brooks, verified by the state registry three hours ago," Ethan said, his voice ringing through the room like a hammer. "But that's not all. Julian, you forgot that Clara didn't just record your theft. She finished the algorithm."
Ethan tapped the keyboard, and the new seasonal adaptation layer populated the screens. The data stream was beautiful—a perfect, flawless system that instantly increased the company's efficiency projections by forty percent.
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"This code belongs to the Brooks estate," Ethan said, turning to face his investors. "Not to Cole Industries. And certainly not to Apex Logistics. As of ten minutes ago, I have transferred fifty-one percent of my personal shares into a permanent, irrevocable trust for Sadie and Emma Brooks. I am stepping down as CEO effective immediately."
The room erupted into shouts, but Ethan didn't listen. He walked over to Julian Vance, leaning down until their faces were inches apart. "The court deposition is cancelled, Julian. The federal prosecutor just received a copy of this drive. Your cousin Gary is already talking. I'd buy a cheaper suit if I were you; the benches in federal prison are hard on silk."
