Chapter 3 - The Gala of Consequences
Two weeks later, the annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Carter Nova Technologies was held in the same ballroom where I had slapped Chloe.
Michael stood at the podium, looking confident, his arm once again draped around Chloe, who wore a dress that cost more than my first car. He was preparing to announce a massive merger that would effectively finalize his control and push me out of the company forever.
He hadn't seen me since the gala. He looked at the room, at the investors, and then his eyes landed on me.
He sneered. "I see the security team let an uninvited guest in."
The room chuckled.
I stood near the back, dressed in a sharp, tailored white suit—the same one I had worn the day we signed the articles of incorporation in our garage. I held a stack of files.
"I'm not here for the merger, Michael," I said, my voice carrying clearly through the silent hall. "I'm here for the audit."
Michael’s face flushed. "Olivia, leave. Now."
"The board might want to see these first," I said, projecting the documents onto the massive screens behind him.
The room erupted in whispers. The screens showed the shell company transfers. The forged patent assignments. The SEC violations.
Michael turned, his face draining of color as he saw the evidence of his fraud displayed in forty-foot high resolution.
"This is a forgery!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "She’s unstable! Look at her—she’s obsessed!"
"I'm not obsessed, Michael," I said, walking toward the stage as the doors opened and two federal agents in dark suits entered the room. "I’m just the woman who knows where all the bodies—and all the bank accounts—are buried."
I looked at Chloe, who was trembling, clutching the pink diamond ring that now looked cheap and gaudy in the harsh light of truth.
"By the way," I said, stopping in front of her. "I spoke to your doctor. The one you didn't have."
May you like
Her face turned deathly pale.
"I hope the ring was worth it," I whispered.
