Chapter 6 - The Boardroom Massacre
The glass tower of Brennan Health Systems in downtown Boston stood seventy stories high, gleaming against the grey winter sky.
The main lobby was packed with security guards holding back fifty aggressive reporters pushing against the velvet ropes.
When Garrett’s black armored Escalade pulled into the private underground loading dock, six armed security personnel instantly surrounded the vehicle.
Garrett stepped out, his tall frame clad in a immaculate charcoal suit, his Italian leather shoes clicking sharply against the concrete floor. Margot was waiting by the private elevator, holding a leather folder.
"Status?" Garrett asked as the elevator doors closed, swooping them up toward the seventieth floor.
"Julian has brought three major institutional shareholders into his camp," Margot reported rapidly. "They hold twenty-two percent of the voting stock. Combined with his own twelve percent, he needs only fifteen percent more to pass the motion of removal."
"And the remaining shareholders?"
"They are terrified, sir," Margot said. "The stock dropped fourteen percent at the opening bell. The media frenzy about your son has made them think you’re distracted."
"Good," Garrett sneered, checking his gold cuff links. "Let them think I’m distracted. It makes the execution cleaner."
The elevator chimed, opening onto the executive penthouse floor.
The board conference room was massive, featuring a thirty-foot glass table overlooking the Boston harbor.
Seated around the table were fourteen of the most powerful corporate executives in America. At the head of the table sat Julian Brennan—a fifty-eight-year-old man with silver hair, a manicured mustache, and a smug, predatory smile.
When Garrett walked into the room, the conversations instantly died.
Julian stood up, spreading his hands in a fake gesture of sympathy. "Garrett! Glad you could join us. We were just discussing your... sudden domestic developments."
Garrett didn't say a word. He walked to the empty chair at the opposite end of the table, pulled it out, and sat down smoothly. He rested his hands on the table, leaning forward slightly.
"Julian," Garrett said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "You have five minutes to state your motion before I call the police."
Julian let out a loud, mocking laugh, looking around at the other board members. "Call the police? For what, nephew? For exposing the fact that our CEO has been hiding an illegitimate child with a corporate criminal?!"
Julian slammed a stack of papers onto the glass table.
"Four years ago, Paige Henley stole our proprietary diagnostic algorithm!" Julian shouted, his face reddening. "And now, Garrett brings her back into his life, housing her in a forty-million-dollar estate bought with shareholder assets! He is unfit! He is compromised! I move for an immediate vote of removal under Section 9 of the corporate charter!"
Three board members quickly spoke up. "Seconded!" "The stock is crashing, Garrett!" "You owe us an explanation!"
Garrett sat back in his leather chair, watching his uncle with absolute, chilling amusement.
"Finished?" Garrett asked softly.
Julian frowned, uncomfortable with Garrett’s lack of panic. "Vote now! All those in favor of removing Garrett Brennan—"
"Margot," Garrett interrupted, not even looking up. "Play file 04-B."
Margot pressed a button on her encrypted tablet.
A high-definition audio recording suddenly boomed through the conference room’s surround-sound speakers.
“Don't worry about the audit,” Julian’s voice echoed clearly through the room. “I’ve already planted the digital footprint on Paige Henley’s laptop. Garrett is so paranoid he’ll fire her before breakfast. Once she’s gone, the Chinese consortium will transfer the twelve million to the Cayman account.”
The boardroom went dead silent.
Julian’s face went from red to ash-grey in two seconds. His hands began to tremble violently. "What... what is that?! That’s fake! That’s an AI generation!"
"That is a certified, FBI-authenticated recording taken from your private server three years ago, Julian," Garrett said smoothly, pulling a thick blue folder from Margot’s hands and tossing it into the center of the table.
"Inside that folder," Garrett announced, looking around at the terrified board members, "are the bank records of Julian’s Cayman island accounts, the IP logs showing he uploaded the leaked photo of my son to the tabloids this morning, and a signed confession from the former chief financial officer who helped him launder six million dollars out of our New England expansion fund."
The board members gasped.
"You... you bastard!" one board member shouted at Julian. "You stole from the expansion fund?!"
"I... I can explain!" Julian stammered, backing toward the glass wall, looking like a cornered animal.
"You don't need to explain to us, Julian," Garrett said, standing up slowly, towering over the table. "You can explain to the three federal agents waiting outside the elevator."
The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open.
Three FBI agents in dark suits walked in, accompanied by two uniformed officers.
"Julian Brennan?" the lead agent announced, pulling out a pair of steel handcuffs. "You are under arrest for corporate fraud, wire fraud, grand larceny, and illegal surveillance."
Julian looked at his nephew, his eyes wild with hatred and terror. "Garrett! Please! I’m your father’s brother! You can't do this to your own blood!"
Garrett walked up to his uncle, stopping inches away, his hazel eyes cold as arctic ice.
"You framing Paige destroyed four years of my son’s life," Garrett whispered into Julian’s ear, his voice laced with venom. "You’re lucky I’m letting the law take you. If it were up to me, you’d never see daylight again."
The federal agents grabbed Julian’s arms, snapping the handcuffs onto his wrists, and dragged him screaming out of the boardroom.
Garrett turned back to the remaining board members, who were sitting frozen, pale, and terrified.
"Now," Garrett said, buttoning his coat calmly. "Regarding the New England acquisition... the vote is approved. Any objections?"
May you like
Not a single hand was raised.
"Good," Garrett said. "Meeting adjourned. I have to go home to my family."
