Chapter 4 - The Press Conference
By noon, the business world was on fire.
We didn't just file a quiet lawsuit. We held a press conference in the lobby of Vance Logistics. I stood at the podium, a wall of cameras flashing in my face. My father stood to my right, projecting solidarity and strength.
"This morning," I announced to the room full of reporters, "Vance Logistics filed a multi-million dollar civil lawsuit against the Sterling Holding Group, Victoria Sterling, and thirty-one individuals for corporate espionage, theft of trade secrets, and conspiracy to commit fraud."
A murmur rippled through the press corps. Hands shot up.
"Ms. Vance! Are you saying your former in-laws infiltrated your company?" a reporter from the Wall Street Journal shouted.
"That is exactly what I am saying," I replied evenly. "Over the past three years, the Sterling family exploited a marriage to place operatives within our infrastructure. They systematically stole our proprietary routing data, attempted to sabotage our client relationships, and engaged in a coordinated effort to devalue Vance Logistics for a hostile takeover. Yesterday, I terminated all thirty-one of those individuals."
"What about the rumors of union bribery regarding your father?" another reporter asked.
I smiled. We had baited the trap. "We anticipated the Sterlings would attempt a smear campaign to distract from their own crimes. We have turned over evidence to the authorities proving that members of the Sterling family fabricated financial documents in a desperate attempt to blackmail my father into retaining their spies. We welcome any federal investigation into our books, because they are perfectly clean."
The press conference was a masterstroke. By getting ahead of the blackmail, we completely neutralized Victoria’s only weapon. If she leaked the documents now, it would only look like the pathetic revenge of a guilty woman.
When we got back up to the executive suite, Dad poured two glasses of scotch. He handed me one, his eyes gleaming with pride.
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"Your grandfather would be proud of you, Elena," Dad said, clinking his glass against mine. "You didn't just protect the company. You went for the throat."
"They came for our home, Dad," I replied, taking a sip. "I'm going to make sure they never work in this industry again."
