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Chapter 10
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When the Masks Fell Chapter 10
My dad gave me a rare assessment of my performance this time. "Not bad."Coming from him, those two words were worth about as much as being praised with drums and fanfare for three straight days.I sat in the headquarters conference room and yawned.He shot me a cold look. "Sleepy?""No," I said. "The air in here is so thick with success that I'm having trouble adjusting."The executives seated on both sides of the conference table promptly lowered their heads. They wanted to laugh but didn't dare.My dad tossed a stack of documents in front of me. "You're in charge during the three-month interim takeover."I looked down at the pile of paperwork, thick enough to use as a weapon for self-defense. "Dad, I don't think my health is suited to this level of intensive work.""What is your health suited for?""Rest and recovery."He laughed.I immediately sat up straight. "I think three months might be manageable after all."A wise man knows how to read the room.The company's fin
When the Masks Fell Chapter 9
After the audit team moved in, it felt as though the roof had been ripped off the company. All the dust hidden in the ceiling came pouring down.Over the past six months, Lance had approved a number of questionable expenses: consulting fees, marketing advances, brand partnership deposits.Every item looked explainable on its own. Taken together, they were a different story.When Elise finished her investigation, she dropped a relationship chart in front of me. It traced a path from external financing firms to Lance through several shell companies posing as suppliers, and finally, to the new entity.Follow the connections around, and they led to a fund associated with one of my father's longtime rivals.I studied the map and stayed silent for half a minute. "So they weren't simply trying to raise money.""No," Elise said. "They wanted to strip out the most valuable people and contracts. They'd leave you with the original company, along with its debts and the public backlash."I l
When the Masks Fell Chapter 8
Lance was taken to a small conference room.By the time I walked in, the confidence he'd displayed onstage was gone. His tie was loose, and his hair was a mess. The paper cup beside him had been crushed in his hand.As soon as he saw me, he jumped to his feet. "Mr. Hart." He'd learned to use the right title quickly.I sat down.Elise took the seat beside me and switched on a voice recorder.Lance's expression changed again when he saw it. "I'm willing to cooperate with the investigation."I nodded. "Talk."He swallowed. "Someone on the financing side told me to do it this way.""Who?""A partner named Vance Rush. He said that as long as we put the authorization on display at the press conference and made it a public fact, even if you disagreed afterward, you'd have to give in for the sake of the company's valuation."I laughed. "He understands public pressure tactics pretty well."Lance hurried to add, "I admit I was wrong, but I genuinely didn't know the signature was fak
When the Masks Fell Chapter 7
The press conference ended in a complete mess.The investors couldn't get out fast enough.The media were even more excited. They came expecting to capture the inspiring story of a female CEO successfully securing financing. Instead, they'd gotten a spectacular combination of a wealthy family's ownership dispute, a forged authorization, and suspicions of asset transfers.After leaving the stage, I went straight to the backstage corridor.Elina came after me. Her heels struck the floor in quick succession, each step echoing down the hallway."Bridger!"I stopped.She hurried up to me. Her eye makeup was smeared, and she no longer looked like the dazzling woman who'd stood onstage.She looked like the small-time streamer from three years ago, crying in the break room and asking me what she should do."I wasn't trying to steal your company."I looked at her. "Then what were you trying to steal?"Tears spilled down her cheeks again. "I just wanted to take back the part that belo
When the Masks Fell Chapter 6
Elina started toward me.I took half a step back.She stopped. That half-step was enough to make her understand a great deal.Lance was already losing it. He started desperately trying to explain himself."The authorization came from someone on my team. I thought Elina had already approved it. We needed to move quickly on the financing, so we disclosed it first. We were definitely going to complete the formalities afterward."Elise stared at him coldly. "Disclose a forged document first and complete the formalities afterward?"Lance had no answer.My dad sat in the front row, leisurely straightening his cuff links. "Young man, you've got some nerve."Lance's Adam's apple bobbed. "President Hart, I really didn't know Mr. Hart was the actual controlling owner."I held the microphone and turned to look at him. "Then who did you think I was?"He said nothing.I answered for him, "Elina Chandler's kept man."Someone in the audience sucked in a sharp breath.I smiled faintly. "R
When the Masks Fell Chapter 5
Three minutes later, the doors to the venue opened again.This time, there were no security guards at the entrance.My dad was the first to walk in. Wesley Hart, chairman of the parent company's board.He rarely appeared at events like this. Not because he wasn't entitled to be there, but because he had no need to be.The moment he appeared, several investors in the front row changed expressions. Some stood up immediately. One nearly knocked over a glass of water.Lance's speech caught in his throat. He probably didn't recognize my dad, but he recognized the investors' reactions.I followed behind my dad.Behind us came Elise Bentley, head of legal at headquarters, along with the audit team and several staff members carrying cases of documents.The applause in the venue died completely. It was as if someone had pressed a pause button on the entire room.Lance forced a smile. "And you are...?"My dad ignored him. He walked to the middle of the front row and looked up at the au
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