Chapter 8 - THE BOARDROOM AMBUSH
By Monday morning, rumors had reached the market even though Cole Global was privately held.
Atlas acquisition delayed.
Procurement review.
Security investigation.
Richard Vale traveling unexpectedly.
Martin Hale absent from headquarters.
Victor Lang requesting an emergency board meeting.
Damian arrived at 8:55.
Every board member was already seated.
That annoyed him.
He liked making entrances.
Victor Lang sat at the head opposite Damian.
Silver hair.
Perfect suit.
Statesman smile.
“Damian.”
“Victor.”
“We’re concerned.”
“I’m touched.”
Several board members shifted.
Richard’s chair remained empty.
Hale’s too.
Victor folded his hands.
“Cole Global is facing instability because of unilateral actions by its chief executive.”
Damian leaned back.
“Which actions?”
“You suspended an acquisition without board approval.”
“I delayed signing.”
“Same effect.”
“No.”
“You launched an external procurement audit.”
“Yes.”
“You allowed law enforcement access to sensitive company records.”
“Where legally required.”
Victor’s smile faded.
“You removed senior security personnel.”
“They were compromised.”
“According to whom?”
Damian looked at him.
“Me.”
Victor laughed.
“That is precisely the problem.”
Damian waited.
Then Victor slid a resolution forward.
Temporary executive oversight committee.
Damian’s signing authority limited.
Acquisition authority transferred to board committee.
Victor chairing it.
There it was.
The move.
Not hidden anymore.
Damian read.
“Who drafted this?”
“Independent counsel.”
“Charles Fenwick?”
Victor hesitated.
Wrong.
Damian smiled.
“Because Fenwick resigned last night.”
Several board members reacted.
Victor stared.
Damian continued.
“He resigned after federal investigators asked why he had been communicating with shell vendors tied to Hale.”
Victor’s face stayed still.
But his right hand moved.
One finger against the table.
A tiny tell.
Damian had watched him negotiate for fifteen years.
“Where is Martin?” Damian asked.
Victor ignored it.
“Sign the resolution.”
“No.”
“This is a board vote.”
“Then vote.”
Victor nodded.
Hands.
Seven for.
Five against.
Two abstain.
Enough.
Damian studied the room.
People he knew.
Some frightened.
Some compromised.
Some simply convinced he had become unstable.
Victor smiled.
“Effective immediately.”
Damian nodded.
“Good.”
Victor blinked.
“Excuse me?”
Damian closed his folder.
“I wanted the vote.”
Silence.
“Why?”
“So we’d know.”
“Know what?”
“Who would vote to transfer executive authority based on documents circulated less than four hours ago.”
One director frowned.
“What documents?”
Damian turned toward him.
“You didn’t receive the packet?”
“No.”
Another director:
“Neither did I.”
Victor’s face changed.
The resolution had not been properly distributed.
Damian looked toward the board secretary.
She appeared terrified.
“Who instructed you to circulate?”
“Mr. Lang’s office.”
“When?”
“6:12 a.m.”
“Counsel review?”
She shook her head.
Damian stood.
“This vote is invalid under Article Nine.”
Victor snapped:
“Sit down.”
Damian looked at him.
The room froze.
No one spoke to Damian that way.
More importantly, Victor had lost his statesman mask.
Damian smiled.
“There you are.”
Victor realized.
Too late.
Damian had been provoking him.
The boardroom doors opened.
Detective Bell entered with federal investigators.
Victor stood.
“What is this?”
Bell said:
“Victor Lang, we need to speak with you regarding an active financial investigation.”
“This is harassment.”
Damian looked at the board.
“No.”
He opened his laptop.
Projected onto the screen:
Vendor structures.
Approval exceptions.
Audit blocks.
Payments linked to Lang-controlled foundations.
Not enough for final guilt.
Enough for questions.
Then Richard appeared on the screen remotely.
Everyone turned.
Live connection.
Richard sat somewhere with a blank wall behind him.
Victor’s face changed.
“Richard.”
Damian looked at the screen.
“Glad you joined.”
Richard smiled.
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
Victor snapped:
“What are you doing?”
Richard ignored him.
Damian understood.
The alliance was breaking.
“Where’s Hale?” Damian asked.
Richard’s smile faded.
“No idea.”
“Lie.”
“Probably.”
Several board members looked shocked.
Richard no longer cared.
Damian leaned forward.
“You wanted Cole Global.”
Richard said:
“I wanted it run properly.”
“By you.”
“By someone willing to make difficult decisions.”
“You mean steal.”
“I mean survive.”
“You kidnapped an employee.”
Richard’s expression hardened.
“I did not.”
“You knew.”
“I knew Hale wanted her contained.”
“Contained.”
“Bad word.”
“Accurate.”
Richard leaned closer to the camera.
“Damian, you still think this company is clean except for a few bad men.”
“I don’t.”
“That’s progress.”
“What do you think it is?”
Richard laughed softly.
“A machine built on compromises your father made.”
Victor shouted:
“Stop talking.”
Richard looked at him.
“Why? You were going to remove me too.”
The room went silent.
Damian watched.
There.
He had suspected fracture.
Now confirmed.
Victor had planned to use Richard, then discard him.
Richard knew.
Damian said:
“Martin?”
Richard’s face changed.
“Hale started everything.”
“Thomas?”
“Your father tried to stop it.”
Damian felt something loosen in his chest.
Not relief.
Confirmation.
“Plane crash?”
Richard looked away.
Victor said:
“Do not answer.”
Richard laughed.
“You really think you’re still in charge?”
Damian remained silent.
Richard looked back.
“I didn’t kill Thomas.”
“Did Hale?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Victor?”
Victor shouted:
“This is absurd!”
Richard said:
“Ask Victor why Thomas’s canceled flight was restored.”
Damian’s blood froze.
Everyone turned toward Lang.
Victor went pale.
Detective Bell stepped closer.
Richard continued.
“Thomas canceled because he suspected the mechanic.”
Damian’s hands tightened.
“Who restored it?”
Richard answered:
“Victor called dispatch.”
The room erupted.
Victor denied.
Bell ordered everyone to remain seated.
Damian stared at the man who had attended his father’s funeral.
Victor looked at Damian.
“That flight had to happen. Thomas had a meeting.”
“You knew he canceled it.”
“He changed his mind.”
“Did he?”
“Yes.”
“Where’s the record?”
Victor said nothing.
Richard laughed on screen.
“Tell him.”
Victor looked toward investigators.
Then the connection cut.
Richard gone.
Damian snapped:
“Trace.”
Elena’s voice came through his earpiece.
“Already.”
Victor was escorted out for questioning, not yet arrested.
The board meeting dissolved into chaos.
Then Elena whispered:
“We have Richard’s location.”
Damian walked out of the boardroom.
“Where?”
“Toronto was a jump. He’s back in the U.S.”
“Where?”
Elena paused.
“Colorado.”
Damian stopped.
“Why Colorado?”
Then he knew.
His father’s crash site.
Richard was going back to where Thomas Cole died.
Not because of sentiment.
Because something was still there.
Something valuable enough to risk returning to the United States.
Damian looked toward the boardroom.
“Plane.”
Elena said:
“No.”
“Again?”
“You don’t need to chase him personally.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Why?”
Damian thought of Thomas’s letter.
Sophia.
Lily.
Richard.
Then:
“Because this started before Cole Global was mine.”
May you like
His voice hardened.
“I’m going to be there when it ends.”
