Part 15
The emergency board meeting of the Sterling Hospitality Group was held via a secure, encrypted holographic conference system.
Marcus stood in the center of his command room, surrounded by the life-sized, flickering holographic projections of twelve anxious board members.
At the head of the virtual table sat Elias Thorne, looking furious and severely inconvenienced.
"Mr. Johnson, this hostile takeover is not only aggressive, it borders on illegal," Thorne barked, pointing a digital finger at Marcus.
"You cannot simply walk into one of our flagship locations and terminate the entire management staff on a whim."
Marcus stood with his hands casually in his pockets, completely unfazed by the older man's theatrical outrage.
"I didn't do it on a whim, Elias," Marcus said calmly. "I did it because your managers were treating human beings like garbage."
"This is a business, not a charity, Johnson!" Thorne sneered. "We cater to the elite, not the rabble."
"And that fundamental misunderstanding of humanity is exactly why you are no longer in charge," Marcus replied, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"You don't have the authority to remove me!" Thorne shouted, his face turning red.
Marcus didn't argue; he simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the holographic walls of the virtual boardroom shifted, displaying mountains of banking documents, wire transfers, and offshore ledgers.
The other eleven board members gasped in unison as they recognized the heavily guarded financial secrets of their chairman.
Thorne's face drained of all color, his arrogant posture collapsing in an instant.
"This... this is a fabrication!" Thorne stammered, sweating profusely. "You hacked my private files!"
"I audited the company I now own," Marcus corrected him smoothly. "And I found three hundred million dollars missing from the employee pension fund."
Silence fell over the virtual room, thick and suffocating.
"I have already forwarded these documents to the SEC, the FBI, and the international banking authority," Marcus stated flatly.
"You're ruined, Elias. By the time this meeting ends, federal agents will be knocking on the door of your penthouse."
Before Thorne could formulate a response, Marcus tapped a key on his console, severing Thorne's connection.
The chairman's hologram vanished into thin air.
May you like
Marcus turned his gaze to the remaining board members, who were now trembling in stunned silence.
"Now," Marcus said, his tone perfectly polite once again. "Let's discuss the new direction of this company."
