Chapter 5 - The Audit Begins
The atmosphere in Boardroom A shifted instantly from corporate politics to absolute dread.
Every director turned their head toward me. Marcus Thorne, the Chief Compliance Officer, immediately leaned forward, his sharp eyes locking onto the papers in front of me.
"What did you say, Victoria?" Thorne asked, his voice dead serious.
"I said thirty-two million dollars of our international logistics budget has been diverted," I repeated calmly, sliding a copy of the financial analysis to Thorne, then to Sarah Jenkins, and finally across the table to Arthur Vance. "Over the last two years, while I was restructured our European shipping hubs, quarterly transfers were made to a logistics consulting firm named Crestview Management LLC."
I looked directly at Alexander, who remained frozen standing at the head of the table, his hands trembling slightly against his leather portfolio.
"Crestview Management LLC has no employees, no physical offices, and no operational assets," I continued. "Its sole registered agent is a holding company in Delaware. And three days ago, my forensic accounting team in London uncovered the beneficial owner of that Delaware entity."
I paused, letting the silence hang in the room for three agonizing seconds.
"The owner is Claire Reynolds."
A collective gasp echoed across the room. On the video wall, the international directors sat up in their chairs, leaning closer to their cameras.
Claire scrambled up from her chair at the side table, her face contorted in pure terror. "That's a lie! That's a total lie! Alexander, tell her! Tell them it's not true!"
"Shut up, Claire!" Alexander hissed through his teeth, his eyes darting frantically toward the door of the boardroom.
"Furthermore," I continued, turning a page in my report, "the authorization signatures on those thirty-two million dollars in transfers belong exclusively to the Chairman of the Board. Alexander Montalvo."
"This is a setup!" Alexander shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. "She's framing me! She found out about... about a personal dispute between us, and now she's using forged documents to destroy my leadership!"
"Forged?" Sarah Jenkins, the Chief Legal Officer, said, reviewing the wire confirmation codes on the paper in front of her. "Alexander, these are certified SWIFT banking records from Bank of America and Barclays. They carry digital cryptographic signatures from your private Chairman security fob."
"She had access to my house!" Alexander argued frantically, pointing a finger at me. "She could have taken my fob! She's trying to ruin me!"
"Alexander," Arthur Vance said, his voice dropping into a register of profound disappointment and disgust. "Victoria didn't take your fob. You gave your secondary authorization access to your secretary because you were too lazy to handle your own compliance reviews."
Vance looked at Marcus Thorne. "Marcus, execute Protocol 9 immediately."
"With pleasure," Thorne replied.
Thorne pulled out his phone and pressed a button. "Security team, this is Chief Compliance Officer Thorne. Lock down all servers associated with the Chairman's office immediately. Revoke security access credentials for Claire Reynolds and Alexander Montalvo. Position two security officers outside Boardroom A."
"You can't do this!" Claire screamed, rushing toward the door.
Before her hand could touch the handle, the heavy glass doors opened. Two tall, uniformed corporate security officers stepped inside, blocking the exit completely.
I stood up from my chair, buttoning my navy jacket, looking at my husband across the table.
"As CEO of Montalvo Global," I declared, my voice echoing clearly through the speaker system, "I am placing the Chairman under formal administrative suspension pending a full forensic investigation. Ms. Reynolds, you are terminated effective immediately for severe breach of fiduciary duty and corporate theft."
Claire collapsed into a chair near the door, sobbing hysterically into her hands, the white ceramic diamond watch on her wrist flashing uselessly under the lights.
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Alexander looked at me, his eyes filled with a terrifying mix of rage, panic, and overwhelming defeat. "Victoria... please... we're married... you can't do this to your family..."
"You destroyed our family the moment you turned my company into your personal bank account, Alexander," I said softly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a company to run."
