Chapter 15 - THE FEDERAL DOCKET
"You look like hell, cousin," Marcus said, stepping forward and giving Daniel a brief, firm embrace.
"You have no idea," Daniel replied weary. He turned to Emily. "Marcus, this is Emily Reed."
Marcus turned to Emily, taking off his sunglasses. His eyes were kind, but sharp with professional intensity. He extended his hand. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Miss Reed. Your father was a good man. My father always said Benjamin Reed was the only honest businessman in our city."
Tears pricked Emily's eyes. Hearing someone validate her father's character after fifteen years of public disgrace felt like a cool rain on a parched desert.
"We have the evidence," Emily said, opening her bag and presenting both the leather binder and the encrypted hard drive.
Marcus took the items, signaling to one of his agents, who placed them into a biohazard evidence pouch.
"We need to go directly to the Federal Courthouse," Marcus said, motioning for them to follow him toward a fleet of black armored SUVs waiting outside the station. "Arthur Sterling just announced an emergency press conference at noon today. He's formally announcing his candidacy for the Senate, and he's using the event to announce the 'merger' of Sterling Enterprises and Vance Enterprises."
Daniel froze. "A merger? My mother doesn't have the authority to merge the companies without my vote as majority shareholder!"
"She filed a court petition three hours ago claiming you are 'missing and incapacitated,'" Marcus explained grimly as they climbed into the back of the SUV. "She's using your disappearance from the vault last night to seize emergency control of your shares. If the board approves the merger at noon, Sterling will absorb Vance Enterprises, legally sealing all historical financial records under corporate immunity."
"They aren't just trying to cover up the past," Emily realized, her blood running cold. "They are trying to steal Daniel's entire company before we can stop them!"
Marcus looked at his watch. 11:15 AM.
May you like
"We have forty-five minutes to present this evidence to a Federal Judge, secure an emergency injunction, and crash that press conference," Marcus said, slamming his hand on the driver's headrest. "Drive! Red lights don't exist today!"
---
