Chapter 5 - THE EMBEZZLED MILLIONS
The rain had stopped by seven o'clock the next morning, leaving a blanket of heavy, gray fog over the Calder estate.
In the subterranean security vault beneath the mansion—a reinforced bunker equipped with independent power and communication lines—Roman, Clare, and Victoria sat around a glass conference table. Owen was sitting in the corner with a tablet, happily watching cartoons with noise-canceling headphones.
Victoria had pulled up the private financial records of Calder Logistics South America, a subsidiary Julian had overseen for the past five years.
"It's not just a succession attempt, Roman," Victoria said, pointing to a series of wire transfers displayed on the monitors. "Julian has been stripping assets from the company for thirty-six months. He’s funneled over forty million dollars through offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands."
"Where did the money go?" Roman asked.
"A failing real estate venture in Dubai, and heavily leveraged short positions against Calder Global stock," Victoria revealed. "He bet tens of millions that our stock would crash this quarter. If you die today, the stock plunges forty percent tomorrow morning. He collects thirty million on his short positions, takes executive control, covers up his forty-million-dollar embezzlement, and sells the company's remaining assets to satisfy his creditors."
Clare leaned over the table, her sharp eyes scanning the ledger entries. "Look at the dates on those transfers."
Roman looked at her. "What about them?"
"October 14th," Clare pointed out. "March 22nd. August 5th. Those aren't random dates. Those are the days you were out of the country on corporate retreats."
"He was using my personal terminal while I was away," Roman realized, his fist clenching on the table. "He had my physical access key."
"He didn't just steal from you, Roman," Clare said, her voice filled with quiet disgust. "He set up a paper trail that makes it look like you authorized those transfers. If he failed to kill you, his backup plan was to frame you for corporate embezzlement and have federal agents arrest you."
Roman looked at Clare, marveling at how quickly her practical mind dissected the corporate web that Julian had spun. She had no business degree, no corporate training, yet her survival instincts were sharper than half the board members sitting in his high-rise tower downtown.
"Victoria," Roman said, turning to his attorney. "Call the District Attorney's office. Tell them I have a federal fraud case ready to present."
"The DA won't act fast enough to stop the nine o'clock board meeting," Victoria warned. "Julian will already have taken the interim vote before a warrant can be signed."
Roman stood up, smoothing his tie, his cold corporate persona sliding back into place like a suit of armor. "Then we won't wait for the DA. We're going to the board meeting."
"Roman," Clare called out as he reached the vault door.
He paused, looking back over his shoulder.
May you like
"Don't let him push you into a corner," she said, her hazel eyes meeting his with fierce intensity. "He thinks you're weak because you're hurt. Show him why your father left you the company."
A slow, genuine smile spread across Roman's face—the first real smile Clare had seen on him in six years. "Watch the monitors, Clare. It’s going to be a good show."
