Chapter 12 - The Ambush
Monday morning arrived with the tension of a coiled spring. The grand boardroom on the fiftieth floor was packed with Apex’s board of directors, elite stakeholders, and Julian, who sat at the head of the massive mahogany table. Clara sat nervously on the perimeter, holding her presentation notes.
"Before Mr. Hayes finalizes the European merger," Richard announced, standing up with a slick, predatory smile, "I took the liberty of running a secondary audit on Miss Vance’s risk assessment ledger."
Julian’s eyes narrowed. "That wasn't authorized, Richard."
"It was necessary, Julian," Richard retorted, projecting the ledger onto the massive screen. He clicked a button, highlighting a massive chunk of data in red. "It seems our ‘prodigy’ missed a toxic liability clause. Fifty million dollars in hidden debt."
The boardroom erupted into shocked murmurs. The board members glared at Clara.
Clara’s heart dropped into her stomach. She stared at the screen, horrified. "No... that wasn't in my report. I balanced that sheet perfectly. The debt was cleared."
"The data says otherwise, Clara," Richard sneered, dripping with condescension. "Perhaps if you had spent more time studying accounting and less time mopping floors, you wouldn't have nearly bankrupted this firm."
Clara felt the room spin. The embarrassment and shame were suffocating. She looked at Julian, expecting to see disappointment, anger, or betrayal.
Instead, Julian was staring at Richard with a look of terrifying, icy calm.
"Are you accusing Miss Vance of incompetence, Richard?" Julian asked, his voice deadly quiet.
"I'm pointing out a fact," Richard said smugly. "She is vastly unqualified. She should be terminated immediately."
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Clara gripped her pen so hard her knuckles turned white. She knew she didn't make that error. She knew her numbers. She just had to prove it.
"Mr. Hayes," Clara said, her voice cutting through the murmurs. She stood up, her posture rigid. "May I have access to the master terminal?"
