Chapter 9 - Checkmate in the Boardroom
“What are you doing in here?”
A sharp, panicked voice echoed from the doorway.
Alexander turned around. Standing in the entrance was Marcus Sterling, dressed in an immaculate charcoal suit, his face draining of all color as he stared at the man he thought was dead.
Behind Marcus stood two burly corporate security guards, their eyes widening in shock.
“Alex?!” Marcus stammered, taking a step backward. “You... how did you—?”
“Survive?” Alexander finished for him, stepping out from behind his desk with the black flash drive clutched firmly in his hand. “You should have checked the alley behind Kessler’s a little closer, Marcus. Amateurs always leave witnesses.”
Marcus recovered his composure instantly, his expression twisting into a cold, ruthless sneer. He motioned to the two guards. “He’s delusional! He’s trespassing in his own office while mentally unstable. Grab him and throw him out of the building!”
The guards lunged forward.
Before they could reach Alexander, Emma darted out from behind the mahogany desk, holding a heavy crystal paperweight in both hands, and brought it smashing down onto the electronic panic button mounted on the floor, screaming at the top of her lungs:
“SECURITY OVERRIDE! BOARDROOM LOCKDOWN!”
The building’s emergency klaxons instantly blared across the entire top floor. Red warning lights flashed above every door, automatically locking the executive boardroom and the penthouse exit doors simultaneously.
From down the hall, the heavy oak doors of the boardroom flew open, and Arthur Sterling stepped out, flanked by three senior board members, holding a digital tablet connected to the live corporate broadcast.
“The lockdown is triggered by corporate mandate,” Arthur announced loudly, his voice echoing across the floor. “And according to the master server, Alexander Vance is officially present and presiding over this company!”
Marcus spun around, panic flaring in his eyes as he saw the board members staring directly at him. “Don't listen to him! He’s compromised!”
“I am completely lucid, Marcus,” Alexander said, walking past the frozen security guards and plugging the black flash drive directly into the main boardroom media console.
Instantly, a massive holographic projection lit up the boardroom screen, displaying bank transfers, offshore shell company accounts, and recorded audio files of Marcus conspiring to sabotage the company and orchestrate Alexander's disappearance.
The board members gasped, turning their furious glares directly toward Marcus.
“Mr. Sterling,” the lead independent board member said, his voice shaking with anger. “You are terminated effective immediately. Security—take him away.”
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As two bewildered building security guards grabbed Marcus by the arms and dragged him kicking and screaming down the hallway, the boardroom fell into a stunned, profound silence.
Alexander stood at the head of the table, looking out over his company, before turning his gaze toward the doorway where a little girl in an oversized yellow raincoat stood holding a crystal paperweight.
