Chapter 4 - The Boardroom Ambush
By 10:00 AM, news of Preston Vale’s arrest had not yet reached the press, thanks to a temporary federal gag order I had requested to protect Ironvale’s stock price.
However, the war was far from over.
Vance Global had scheduled an emergency joint shareholder meeting at 1:00 PM at the Silicon Valley Commerce Center. Julian Vance believed Preston had successfully secured the core source code the night before, and he intended to launch a hostile takeover attempt by announcing that Vance Global possessed superior navigation technology.
At 12:45 PM, I walked into the glass-walled boardroom of the Commerce Center.
The room was filled with Ironvale’s board members, institutional investors, and tech journalists. Sitting at the head of the long mahogany table was Julian Vance—a fifty-year-old silver-haired billionaire wearing a thousand-dollar suit, radiating absolute smug authority.
Beside Julian’s chair was an empty seat reserved for Preston Vale.
When Julian saw me walk in alone, a cold, mocking smile spread across his lips.
“Ah, Eliza,” Julian said smoothly, standing up to greet me. “We were wondering if you’d join us today. I notice your Vice President of Operations, Preston, hasn't arrived yet. Is everything all right at home?”
I walked to the opposite end of the table and sat down, laying my leather briefcase flat on the surface.
“Preston had an unexpected prior engagement this morning, Julian,” I replied calmly. “He’s currently assisting federal authorities with an ongoing investigation.”
Julian’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but he recovered quickly. “I see. Well, personal matters aside, today’s meeting is about the future of aerospace navigation. Vance Global is officially submitting an unconditional offer to acquire sixty percent of Ironvale Systems at forty dollars a share.”
The room erupted into low whispers among the board members.
“Forty dollars a share is an insult, Julian,” one of my loyal board members, Arthur, spoke up. “Our market valuation is at least sixty.”
“It was sixty, Arthur,” Julian interrupted smoothly, leaning forward. “Until Vance Global proprietary software matched Ironvale’s core navigation algorithm. We are launching our own platform next week. Once we do, Ironvale’s patents will be obsolete. Forty dollars a share is a generous exit for Eliza before her company loses all government standing.”
Julian looked directly at me, his eyes filled with ruthless triumph. He believed he held the stolen source code. He believed Preston had delivered.
I slowly unclasped my briefcase and pulled out a single silver flash drive, placing it on the center of the mahogany table.
“You’re talking about the 'Aegis-7' navigation algorithm, correct Julian?” I asked softly.
Julian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the flash drive. “Our engineering team has developed a revolutionary platform. That is all you need to know.”
“Your engineering team didn't develop anything,” I said, my voice echoing clearly across the silent boardroom. “Nine months ago, when I first noticed unauthorized ping requests on my home network originating from Vance Global servers, I created a honeypot file inside my personal dressing room server.”
Julian went completely motionless.
“I left a fake source code file labeled 'Aegis-7 Core,'” I continued, leaning forward. “It looked like a breakthrough in satellite tracking. In reality, it is a Trojan algorithm designed to scramble server networks and mirror all data back to the Department of Defense’s Cyber Security Task Force.”
I picked up a remote and clicked a button on the wall display.
The screen flashed to life, displaying a live federal feed showing FBI agents executing a search warrant at Vance Global’s corporate headquarters in downtown San Francisco.
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Julian bolted upright from his chair, his face twisting into pure panic. “What is this? What did you do?!”
“I didn't do anything, Julian,” I said, rising gracefully from my chair. “You bought stolen, weaponized code from my treasonous husband. And you just admitted to using it on live camera in front of thirty witnesses.”
