Chapter 3

Alexander Pov

The boardroom on the forty-second floor had always belonged to me.

This morning it did not.

I sat at the head of the long glass table and watched my mother open the emergency session with the same calm she used for charity dinners. Evelyn Blackwood wore pearl-grey and a smile that never reached her eyes. Sebastian sat two chairs down from her, shoulders straight, expression carefully neutral. He had practiced that look in mirrors for years.

Victoria Shaw placed a thin folder in front of me and remained standing at my right shoulder. The rest of the board filled the remaining seats—some loyal, some already calculating the new balance of power, a few simply waiting to see which way the vote would fall.

Evelyn did not waste time.

“Recent internal audits have uncovered significant irregularities in several subsidiary accounts,” she said. “The pattern of approvals and transfers raises serious questions about oversight at the highest level. For the protection of the company and its shareholders, I move that Alexander Blackwood be placed on immediate administrative leave pending a full investigation.”

Sebastian seconded the motion without looking at me.

I kept my hands still on the table. The glass felt cool under my palms. Around the room, faces turned toward the evidence packets that had been distributed before I arrived. I had already read every page. The transactions were real. The damage was real. The trail had been built with care.

Victoria spoke first, voice even. “The chairman has not been given adequate time to review or respond to these materials. Standard procedure requires—”

“Standard procedure,” Evelyn interrupted gently, “does not apply when the company’s financial integrity is at stake. We are acting to contain risk.”

I let the silence settle for three full seconds before I spoke.

“The irregularities exist. I am not disputing the numbers. I am disputing the conclusion that they occurred under my direction or without my knowledge.” I turned my head just enough to meet Sebastian’s eyes. “Someone with procurement authority and access to approval chains built this. I intend to find them.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. He said nothing.

One of the independent directors cleared his throat. “The scale is concerning, Alexander. Even if you were unaware, the board has a duty to act.”

“Then act on facts,” I said. “Not on a narrative assembled in the last seventy-two hours.”

Evelyn folded her hands. “The vote, please.”

It went exactly as she had arranged. Seven in favor of administrative leave. Four against. Two abstentions that might as well have been votes for her. The gavel was unnecessary. The outcome had been decided before I entered the room.

I stood. The chair scraped softly against the floor.

“Effective immediately,” Evelyn said, still smiling, “all executive authority transfers to the interim committee. You will surrender company devices and access credentials before leaving the building. Victoria may remain as counsel during the transition.”

I looked at my brother. “Was it worth it?”

Sebastian finally met my gaze. Something uneasy flickered there and vanished. “It’s temporary. Once the investigation clears the air—”

“Don’t,” I said quietly. “You never were a good liar.”

I walked out before anyone else could speak. Victoria kept pace beside me. The corridor outside the boardroom felt longer than usual. Two security officers waited near the elevators with a document folder and a polite request for my phone, laptop, and access cards. I handed them over without comment. The smaller phone I kept for private use stayed in my inner pocket.

Only when the elevator doors closed and the car began its descent did Victoria speak.

“They’re moving fast,” she said. “Faster than the evidence should allow.”

“They had help.”

She nodded once. The mirrored walls of the elevator showed my face—calm, unreadable, exactly as I had been trained to keep it. Underneath, fury moved in slow, precise circuits. My father had built this company with the expectation that I would protect it. Evelyn and Sebastian had just placed that protection in doubt for the sake of control.

The elevator opened on the executive parking level. My car waited. I did not get in immediately.

Victoria stepped closer and lowered her voice.

“I had a contact in compliance pull the credential logs behind the largest transfers. The junior accounts officer whose login appears most frequently is named Adrian Cole. Twenty-five. Clean record until now. He’s scheduled for formal questioning tomorrow morning.”

I looked at her.

“Cole,” I repeated.

“Yes. His access was used at key approval points. On paper, it looks deliberate.”

The fury in my chest sharpened into something colder and more useful. A name. A point of entry. Someone who might still be reachable before the entire trail was scrubbed.

“Send me everything you have on him,” I said. “Home address, work history, financials, known associates. Quietly.”

Victoria’s expression did not change, but I saw the calculation behind her eyes. “You’re still on leave. Officially you have no authority to question anyone.”

“I’m aware.”

She held my gaze for a moment longer, then gave a single nod. “I’ll have it to you within the hour.”

I opened the car door. The leather seat was cool. Through the windshield the city continued its ordinary morning traffic, indifferent to the fact that the company my father left me had just been placed in other hands.

Adrian Cole.

I started the engine and pulled out of the garage. By the time I reached the street I already knew the first move. Tomorrow morning the junior accounts officer would walk into a room full of people ready to destroy him. I intended to reach him first.