Chapter 8 - The Shadow Corporation
The next morning, the business world was turned completely upside down. Julian convened an emergency board meeting, not at the corporate headquarters, but via secure video link from his home office. He refused to leave Clara’s side.
"Gentlemen," Julian announced to the stunned executives on the screen. "My wife has been found alive. But we have a severe internal breach."
He laid out the evidence. Vanguard Holdings, the shell company Isabella had created, was holding 30% of the Sterling Empire’s liquid assets. Even worse, several board members had been heavily investing in Vanguard, believing it was a legitimate subsidiary managed by Julian himself.
"Isabella used my wife's coerced authorizations to build this shadow empire," Julian explained. "And some of you profited from it. I have the ledger. I know who took the bribes."
Panic erupted on the video call. Three of the senior board members suddenly turned pale. They had known Vanguard was shady, but they looked the other way because the dividends were massive.
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"I am freezing all corporate assets immediately," Julian declared ruthlessly. "My legal team is turning this ledger over to the FBI. If you took a dime from Isabella Vance, you better start packing your bags for federal prison."
He cut the feed, leaving the corporate titans in absolute terror. Julian was burning the infected parts of his empire to the ground, ready to rebuild it from the ashes for Clara.
