Chapter 5 - The Interrogation Cell
Inside the fluorescent-lit holding facility downtown, Conrad Foster looked like a man who had aged ten years overnight. The tailored Brioni suit was rumpled, his hair was unstyled, and dark purple circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes.
Across the steel interrogation table sat Agent Vance and a federal prosecutor named Miller.
“Your signature is on every single wire transfer directive moving funds from Mark’s Engineering to your offshore accounts in the Caymans,” Prosecutor Miller said, sliding a thick stack of documents across the table. “Along with your brother-in-law—or rather, your former brother-in-law—Christopher’s proxy sign-offs. It’s an open-and-shut case of wire fraud and identity falsification.”
Conrad slammed his fist against the metal table, rattling the coffee cups. “This is a witch hunt! My wife—my ex-wife—engineered this whole thing to ruin me out of spite! She’s mentally unstable!”
The heavy steel door swung open, and Douglas Sterling stepped into the room, holding a leather briefcase. He didn't sit down; he simply leaned against the wall, looking down at Conrad with icy detachment.
“Your ex-wife is currently sitting in her penthouse eating cereal with her daughter, Mr. Foster,” Douglas said smoothly. “While you are facing twenty-five years in a federal penitentiary with no possibility of parole.”
Conrad sneered, looking up with bloodshot eyes. “You think you’ve won? The board will bail me out! Foster Holdings is too big to fail!”
“Foster Holdings was built on stolen patents and leveraged debt that Elena’s legal team has already successfully frozen,” Douglas corrected him, pulling a single sheet of paper from his briefcase and laying it on the table. “In fact, as of 9:00 AM this morning, the board of directors voted unanimously to strip you of your title, remove your voting rights, and appoint Elena as the majority shareholder and interim CEO.”
May you like
Conrad’s face went entirely slack. His jaw dropped open, but no words came out.
“You wanted her company, Conrad,” Douglas added quietly, tapping the paper. “Instead, she just bought yours.”
