Chapter 7 - the shadow in the boardroom
The holiday gala resumed within ten minutes, though the festive warmth had completely evaporated, replaced by a suffocating, frozen tension. The string quartet played louder, but nobody danced. Executives whispered to one another in hushed, nervous tones, terrified that they would be next.
Adrian retreated to his private penthouse office on the top floor of the Blackwood Plaza.
The room was vast, dark, and sleek, offering a breathtaking view of the snowy city skyline bathed in neon light. He poured a single glass of amber bourbon, swirling the liquid slowly as he stared out the floor-to-ceiling glass. The ruined waiter’s uniform was gone, replaced by absolute, unbridled power. But the ease with which Vanessa had abused a perceived subordinate left a bitter taste in his mouth. It proved that his hotels had become breeding grounds for elitism.
The secure private intercom on his mahogany desk chimed.
Adrian turned, walked across the plush rug, and pressed the talk button.
“Boss,” the voice of his chief of security, Vance, echoed through the speaker. “We escorted Ms. Cole off the property. Her corporate access has been wiped, her penthouse suite is locked, and her personal accounts linked to the company have been frozen per your instructions.”
“Good,” Adrian replied smoothly, his American accent rich and controlled. “What about her phone?”
“We confiscated it before she left the building. I’ve already had the tech team mirror the data to our secure servers. You’re not going to like what we’re finding, Mr. Blackwood. She wasn't just a tyrant to the staff. She was running a parallel procurement scheme with at least three regional directors.”
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. A procurement scheme meant she was systematically siphoning funds from hotel renovations, funneling millions through offshore shell companies. And she couldn't have done it alone without board-level sign-offs.
“Send the files to my screen immediately,” Adrian commanded. “And pull up the personnel records for everyone who sat at VIP Table One tonight.”
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“Right away, boss.”
The intercom clicked off. Moments later, a flashing blue notification lit up Adrian’s private monitor. He sat down in his leather executive chair, took a slow sip of bourbon, and clicked open the first encrypted folder.
