Chapter 6 - Whispers in the Executive Suite
Ten minutes later, the ballroom was being cleared by hotel staff, while Ethan walked down the private wood-paneled corridor toward the top-floor executive suite. Sterling walked two steps behind him, holding an encrypted leather binder.
They entered the sprawling penthouse suite. Ethan stepped up to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlooked the glittering city skyline below. He poured himself a glass of neat bourbon from a crystal decanter, his expression unreadable.
"She didn't recognize you, sir," Sterling said quietly, closing the double doors behind them. "You haven't made a public appearance in three years. The press assumed you were living in Europe."
"It wasn't an accident that she targeted me, Arthur," Ethan said, taking a slow sip of his drink. "Victoria Langford didn't just stumble into the VIP section tonight. Who invited her?"
Sterling opened the leather binder, his brow furrowing under his silver hair. "Her husband's investment firm, Langford Capital, recently bought out a minority share in our regional distribution network. They've been trying to force a seat on our executive board for months."
May you like
Ethan turned around, his eyes piercing through the dim light of the suite. "They think because I’ve stayed out of the public eye, the throne is empty."
"They do, sir," Sterling acknowledged. "And there's something else. Victoria's husband, Julian Langford, met privately yesterday with two members of your board. We intercepted an encrypted wire transfer from an offshore account in Grand Cayman."
