Chapter 6 - The Trap
By December 27th, Vance had executed a meticulous plan.
He didn't fire Gregory immediately. He knew that firing him would cause Gregory to flee the country with his offshore funds. Instead, Vance summoned Gregory to the annual Sterling Enterprises year-end board meeting at the downtown headquarters.
The boardroom was impressive—floor-to-ceiling glass, polished mahogany tables, and twenty senior executives sitting in leather chairs.
Gregory Vance walked in, wearing an expensive tailored suit, carrying himself with arrogant confidence. He believed he was stepping into a routine meeting to receive his holiday bonus.
"Vance," Gregory smiled smoothly, taking a seat near the head of the table. "I heard you stayed in town for the holidays. Efficient as always."
Vance sat at the head of the table, his arms folded, staring at his uncle with a coldness that made the temperature in the room drop ten degrees.
"I did stay, Gregory," Vance said quietly. "In fact, I spent Christmas Eve behind Bellamy Market."
Gregory’s smile faltered slightly. "Bellamy Market? What were you doing in a service alley?"
Vance pressed a button on the conference remote.
The large projector screen at the end of the room flickered to life. Instead of financial reports, it displayed a clear, high-definition photograph of Clare Bennett kneeling in the freezing snow, holding her two babies near a dumpster.
Gasps echoed across the boardroom.
"Who is that?" an executive asked, frowning.
"That," Vance announced, his voice echoing off the glass walls like thunder, "is Clare Bennett. The widow of David Bennett, a senior mechanic at Apex Logistics who died in the line of duty nine months ago."
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Gregory’s face went completely white. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Vance... I don't see what a homeless woman has to do with our financial review—"
"She isn't a homeless woman, Gregory," Vance interrupted, standing up from his chair and slowly walking down the side of the table toward his uncle. "She is the woman you stole five hundred thousand dollars from."
