Chapter 4 - The Corporate Purge
At 10:00 a.m., the glass doors of the Bennett Development Group headquarters opened, and I walked into the lobby.
I was dressed in a tailored navy maternity suit, my hair pulled back into a sleek, uncompromising bun. Beside me walked Arthur Pendelton and two private security officers.
The receptionist looked up, her mouth dropping open in surprise. "Mrs. Bennett! We... we heard there was an emergency at your house! Mr. Carter’s assistant said you were taking medical leave—"
"Mr. Carter no longer works here," I stated coldly, walking straight toward the executive elevators. "Assemble the board of directors in the main conference room immediately."
When the elevator doors opened on the top floor, Victoria Hayes was standing near the glass wall of her corner office, holding a mug of coffee, talking on her cell phone.
When she caught sight of me walking down the corridor, her entire posture froze. The coffee mug wobbled in her hand.
"Claire!" Victoria stammered, hanging up the phone rapidly and stepping out into the hallway, forcing a bright, anxious smile. "Oh my god! I heard... someone said there was a break-in at your house last night! Are you okay? Where is Daniel?"
I stopped three feet from her, staring at her with cold, unblinking eyes.
"Daniel is in a central holding cell at the city precinct, Victoria," I said quietly. "He’s currently being held without bail for attempted murder."
Victoria’s fake smile completely disintegrated. "Attempted... what? Claire, what are you talking about? That's insane!"
"Is it?" I asked, pulling a sleek tablet from Arthur’s briefcase and tapping the screen. "Because six hours ago, Daniel and his mother poured industrial grease over my stairs. And when the police seized Daniel’s phone, they found forty-seven encrypted text messages sent to an offshore server registered under Apex Capital Holdings."
Victoria took a quick step backward, her back hitting the glass wall of her office. "Claire, I don't know what you're talking about—"
"Let me read you one from yesterday afternoon, Victoria," I interrupted, my voice ringing out down the executive hallway, where staff were beginning to step out of their cubicles.
'Once the accident occurs on Thursday, execute the transfer of the 40% equity block. Claire’s signature is already pre-authorized on the trust documents. We take control by Monday.'
"You didn't just want my life insurance, Victoria," I said, stepping closer. "You wanted my company. You slept with my husband, you helped him forge my signature on corporate trust addendums, and you helped him plan the timing of my death so it would coincide with the quarterly financial audit."
"I... I was framed!" Victoria gasped, her eyes darting frantically toward the elevator bank. "Daniel tricked me! He told me you were stepping down! He said you were giving him the equity!"
"Save it for the grand jury," Arthur Pendelton said smoothly, pulling a formal notice of termination and a federal subpoena from his jacket. "Victoria Hayes, you are formally terminated for corporate fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and grand larceny. Your personal assets have been frozen under a temporary court order."
Two plainclothes police officers stepped out from the elevator behind us.
"Victoria Hayes?" the lead officer asked. "You're under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, corporate fraud, and forgery."
As the officers pulled her hands behind her back and clicked the cuffs over her wrists, Victoria began to weep hysterically, her polished executive persona completely shattered.
"Claire, please!" she begged as they led her toward the elevators. "It was Daniel's idea! He said you'd never miss the money! He said you had too much anyway!"
I stood in the middle of the quiet corridor, watching the elevator doors slide shut behind her.
Every employee on the floor was staring at me in stunned, breathy silence.
May you like
I turned slowly to face them.
"Back to work, everyone," I said, my voice steady, powerful, and absolute. "Bennett Development Group is open for business."
