Chapter 5 - The Fall of Brett Carrick
"You can't do this!" Brett screamed, his voice cracking as he pointed a trembling finger at Gabriel. "You have no legal authority over internal Bellweather personnel decisions! Chairman Vance, tell him! This is extortion!"
Chairman Vance didn't look at Brett. His eyes were glued to the fifty-million-dollar endowment clause and the looming threat of Mercer Adaptive walking away.
"Mr. Mercer," Vance began cautiously, "terminating an officer without cause—"
"I have cause," Gabriel interrupted smoothly.
Gabriel signaled to his lead counsel, who opened a secure tablet and projected a series of internal documents onto the massive digital display at the front of the room.
"During my fourteen months with Premier Facilities," Gabriel explained calmly, "I noticed strange discrepancies in the vendor invoices for facilities maintenance. Cleaning chemicals were marked up three hundred percent. Equipment repairs were billed for machines that didn't exist."
The room grew chillingly quiet.
"I took the liberty of having my private forensic accounting team examine Bellweather's vendor contracts over the weekend," Gabriel continued. "It turns out Premier Facilities is fifty-one percent owned by a shell corporation registered in Delaware. The sole beneficiary of that shell corporation..."
A document flashed on the screen, showing a signed bank registry.
"...is Brett Carrick."
Celeste gasped, her eyes widening in absolute shock as she turned to stare at her COO.
Brett stumbled back half a step, his face turning an ashen, ghost-like gray. "That... that's a lie. That's a setup!"
"You weren't just excluding contract workers from foundation grants, Mr. Carrick," Gabriel said, his voice cold and unwavering. "You were actively siphoning millions from the facilities budget into your own pocket, forcing contractors like Miguel Santos to work with inadequate equipment and low pay while you collected kickbacks."
Chairman Vance stood up, his voice trembling with rage. "Security!"
The heavy boardroom doors opened, and two uniformed security guards walked in.
"Escort Mr. Carrick out of the building immediately," Vance ordered, pointing toward the door. "Lock his office, seize his computer, and contact the United States Attorney's office."
"Arthur, wait! Listen to me!" Brett pleaded frantically as the guards grabbed his arms, dragging him backward. "I built this company's margins! Celeste knew about the cost-cutting! She approved it!"
"Get him out!" Vance roared.
Brett's panicked screams echoed down the hallway until the heavy doors swung shut, leaving a heavy, terrifying silence in the room.
Celeste sat frozen at the head of the table. She felt exposed, stripped bare before her board and the man who had orchestrated the entire exposure. Her reputation as a brilliant, all-seeing CEO was shattered; she had missed a massive embezzlement scheme taking place right under her nose because she had been too focused on high-level margins to notice the floor beneath her feet.
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Gabriel looked at Celeste. There was no triumph in his eyes, only a quiet, serious gravity.
"Now, Ms. Harrington," Gabriel said softly. "We have dealt with the crime. Now let's see if you are ready to deal with the leadership."
