Chapter 9 - The BetrayalWendell returned to headquarters at dawn.
He summoned every senior executive.
No warning.
No preparation.
Twenty-two people entered the boardroom.
Wendell stood at the front.
“We have a leak.”
Nobody reacted.
He placed a photograph on the screen.
Richard.
Then another.
Offshore payments.
Another.
Blackwell Energy.
The room changed.
His CFO stood.
“This is ridiculous.”
Wendell turned.
“Sit down.”
The man froze.
Wendell continued.
“For eight years, someone inside this company has stolen Orion research.”
Silence.
“And someone helped destroy Daniel Tate.”
A director spoke.
“You don't have evidence.”
Wendell clicked the remote.
Financial records appeared.
Then security logs.
Then emails.
Then payment transfers.
One by one, his executives began looking at each other.
Richard wasn't there.
That was the problem.
Wendell turned to Marcus.
“Lock the building.”
Doors closed.
Security systems activated.
Nobody leaves.
Then the boardroom television switched on by itself.
Richard appeared on-screen.
Live.
“Wendell.”
Everyone stared.
Richard sat inside a dark room.
Beside him was the stolen prototype.
And three other men.
Wendell recognized them.
Executives from his own company.
Richard smiled.
“You gathered them all in one room.”
Wendell's blood ran cold.
Richard continued.
“You just saved us the trouble.”
“Where are you?”
“That doesn't matter.”
“What do you want?”
“Everything.”
Richard leaned toward the camera.
“Your company.”
Wendell laughed bitterly.
“You can't steal three billion dollars.”
“No.”
Richard smiled.
“But I can make three billion dollars disappear.”
He pressed a button.
The screen changed.
Bank transfers.
Stock instructions.
Internal communications.
Richard had positioned the company for collapse.
If the information became public, investors would panic.
Credit lines would be frozen.
Suppliers would stop shipments.
The company could lose billions within days.
Wendell stared.
Richard looked directly into the camera.
“You built an empire.”
A pause.
“I built the exit.”
Jaylen stepped toward the screen.
“You won't win.”
Richard looked at him.
“That's where you're wrong.”
Then another image appeared.
A blueprint.
The stolen Orion prototype.
Richard's version.
Wendell recognized the problem immediately.
“They can't operate it.”
Jaylen stared.
“Why?”
“The calibration.”
Richard smiled.
“You're forgetting one thing.”
The screen changed.
A biometric schematic appeared.
Jaylen's name was highlighted.
Richard said:
“The system only works with Jaylen's calibration model.”
Jaylen stepped backward.
Wendell understood.
Richard hadn't been chasing the machine.
He had been chasing Jaylen.
The boy had been the missing key all along.
Richard's voice became quiet.
“Bring me Jaylen.”
Wendell shook his head.
“No.”
Richard smiled.
“Then by tomorrow morning, Hayes Renewables is dead.”
May you like
The screen went black.
And every phone in the boardroom began ringing at once.
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