Chapter 5 - The Confrontation at the Boardroom
The corporate headquarters of Duca Enterprises was a soaring glass tower in the heart of Milan's financial district. The atmosphere in the main boardroom on the 50th floor was thick with tension. The board of directors sat around a massive quartz table, listening to Valerio Duca deliver a passionate speech.
"Given the tragic security breach at the family estate this morning, my cousin Alessandro is indisposed," Valerio said, his voice dripping with false solemnity. "As the CFO, and given the critical nature of the shipping merger, I am calling for an emergency vote to grant me temporary power of attorney over the Duca shares. We cannot let family drama tank our stock price."
"The stock price is fine, Valerio. Your timeline, however, is running out."
The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open.
Alessandro Duca walked in, his suit immaculate, though his cuffs were slightly stained with dark mud from the estate gardens. Behind him walked Caleb, carrying a laptop and a stack of legal documents.
The board members gasped, several standing up in shock. Valerio looked as though he had seen a ghost, his hands shaking so violently he dropped his laser pointer onto the table.
"Alessandro!" Valerio stammered, his face turning an ash-gray color. "You're... you're alive. Thank God! The reports said there was a shooting—"
"The shooter was clumsy, Valerio. Just like the chemist you paid to make the poison," Alessandro said, taking his seat at the head of the table. He nodded to Caleb, who plugged the laptop into the boardroom’s massive digital display screen.
The screen lit up with bank routing numbers, offshore wire transfers, and chemical manifests linking Valerio directly to Valora Tech and the execution of Ricardo Alvarez.
"What is the meaning of this?" an older board member demanded, staring at the financial records. "Valerio, explain this immediately!"
"It’s a frame-up!" Valerio screamed, backing away toward the window as Caleb closed the distance. "Alessandro is paranoid! He’s trying to consolidate power!"
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"The police are already waiting downstairs, cousin," Alessandro said quietly, not even looking at him as he signed a document on his desk. "You murdered a good man because he wouldn't let you manufacture a weapon. Then you tried to use that weapon on me to cover your theft of thirty million euros from the corporate reserve. You aren't just leaving the company today, Valerio. You are leaving the civilized world."
As Caleb led a weeping, screaming Valerio out of the boardroom in handcuffs, Alessandro turned back to the stunned board of directors. "Now, gentlemen. Let’s discuss the terms of the merger."
