Chapter 11 - The Chairman's Betrayal
Clara stared at Chairman Vance in absolute horror, her mind finally comprehending the sheer scale of the betrayal that went far beyond Julian's petty cruelty.
"You planned this from the very beginning," Clara accused, her voice trembling as she backed away from the older man. "You used us to execute the illegal asset transfer so you could scapegoat us if anything went wrong."
Chairman Vance chuckled softly, a dry, humorless sound that chilled the air in the wrecked boardroom.
"My dear Clara, corporate survival requires sacrifices," Vance replied calmly, dialing a rapid sequence of numbers on his burner phone. "Julian was ambitious, but foolishly blinded by his domestic drama. You were simply a convenient distraction."
Before Clara could lunge toward him, the heavy double doors of the boardroom were forcefully kicked open by federal marshals in tactical gear.
"Federal law enforcement! Nobody move!" a masked agent commanded, his assault rifle raised as he scanned the room.
Julian staggered through the doorway just moments later, soaking wet, covered in soot, and bleeding from his hands, looking like a broken man. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Chairman Vance calmly lowering his phone and raising his empty hands with an expression of polite cooperation.
"Officer, thank goodness you're here," Chairman Vance said smoothly, pointing directly at Julian and Clara. "These two individuals orchestrated an illegal corporate takeover and embezzled millions from our holding accounts."
Julian’s eyes widened in sheer disbelief as the betrayal finally crystallized in his mind.
"You lying bastard!" Julian roared, lunging forward with a blind fury to tackle the chairman.
Before Julian could take two steps, federal agents swarmed him, tackling him face-first onto the shattered glass and pinning him to the floor with heavy combat boots.
"Julian Vance, you are under arrest for corporate fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy," the lead agent barked, snapping steel handcuffs tightly around Julian's bleeding wrists.
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Clara sank to her knees in defeat, her dark hair falling across her face as the cold metal cuffs were clamped onto her wrists as well.
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