Chapter 7 - The Midnight Intruder
Two hours later,
the glass-walled boardroom on the top floor of Mercer Tower was filled with high-ranking executives and corporate attorneys.
Arthur Mercer sat at the head of the long oak table,
adjusting his silk tie with an air of absolute victory.
In front of him lay a thick leather folder containing the stolen stock certificates.
“As you can see,
gentlemen,”
Arthur announced loudly to the assembled board members,
“the original physical shares are in my possession.”
“According to the founding charter,”
Arthur continued,
“this entitles me to assume immediate operational control of the enterprise.”
The board members murmured amongst themselves,
looking uncertainly at one another.
Before anyone could raise an objection,
the double doors at the back of the room swung wide open.
Daniel walked into the room,
dressed in a sharp navy suit,
carrying a sleek black leather briefcase.
Behind him walked two uniformed officers from the state financial crimes division,
along with Elena.
Arthur’s smile faded instantly,
his eyes narrowing as he glared at his nephew.
“This is a private board meeting,
Daniel,”
Arthur said,
standing up from his chair.
“You no longer have standing to address this committee.”
“I have more than standing,
Arthur,”
Daniel declared,
stepping up to the opposite end of the long table.
“I have the state registry records.”
Daniel opened his briefcase,
pulling out several printed sheets of paper and sliding them across the table toward the lead corporate attorney.
“The certificates sitting in front of my uncle were invalidated two years ago,”
Daniel announced clearly to the room.
The lead attorney picked up the documents,
adjusting his reading glasses to inspect the official gold seal.
“These are valid state treasury certificates,”
the attorney stated after a short silence,
looking up at Arthur with grave concern.
“The physical shares you hold,
Arthur,
were revoked under Clara Mercer’s legal estate decree.”
Arthur’s face flushed deep crimson,
his hands slamming down hard against the wooden table.
“This is an absolute forgery!”
Arthur shouted,
pointing an angry finger at Daniel.
“She was an invalid! She had no legal authority to alter the trust structure!”
“She had total authority as sole trustee,”
Daniel corrected calmly,
looking his uncle straight in the eye.
“And furthermore,”
Daniel added,
nodding toward the police officers behind him,
“the state prosecutors have reviewed Clara’s detailed records regarding your offshore accounts.”
The senior police officer stepped forward,
pulling a folded arrest warrant from his jacket pocket.
“Arthur Mercer,”
the officer announced loudly,
“you are under arrest for corporate grand larceny,
May you like
wire fraud,
and conspiracy to commit extortion.”
