Chapter 7 - The Master's Ledger
Richard Sterling raised his head slowly. The color drained from his face in a sickening, uneven wave, leaving his skin the shade of spoiled milk. He looked from Samuel to Ethan, his eyes darting toward the door as if searching for an escape route that didn't exist.
"Samuel..." Sterling stammered, his voice losing its polished edge. "You... you were supposed to be in a medical facility in Zurich."
"Zurich was boring," Samuel said smoothly, sliding into the leather chair at the foot of the table. "And it's remarkably easy to spy on people when they think you're a dying old man rotting on a sidewalk outside their daughter's dress fittings."
Samuel nodded to Ethan. Ethan stepped forward, dropping a thick black binder onto the glass table directly in front of Sterling.
"That is the complete forensic audit of the Sterling Group's shell companies in the Cayman Islands," Ethan said, leaning over the table, his shadow swallowing Sterling’s tablet. "Every dollar you skimmed from our pension fund over the last five years. Every bribe paid to the regulatory committee. And every text message between you and Julianna detailing how she was going to poison my father once the marriage certificates were filed."
The twelve directors sat in absolute, terrified stillness. None of them dared to speak. None of them dared to look at Sterling.
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Sterling’s jaw twitched. He tried to force a laugh, but it came out as a strangled, desperate croak. "This is absurd! Fabricated evidence! You think the board is going to believe this insane conspiracy theory?"
"The board doesn't have a choice, Richard," Samuel said softly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his encrypted smartphone. "Because ten seconds ago, the Federal Reserve suspended your trading license. You're broke, Richard. You just haven't realized it yet."
