Chapter 3: The Investigation Begins, The Traitors Panic
The next morning, the city woke up to a rumor.
Not a small rumor.
Not the kind whispered between strangers in coffee shops or written in forgotten corners of the internet.
This was the kind of news that moved through boardrooms, private clubs, and luxury apartments before breakfast was finished.
Charlotte Vale has returned.
The missing heir of Solmere Empire was alive.
And she had come back to reclaim everything.
For six months, Richard Blackwood had carefully shaped a different story.
A story where Charlotte Vale was a young woman who had walked away from the family business.
A story where she had no interest in leadership.
A story where Solmere Empire needed someone experienced like him to survive.
He had repeated it so many times that people began believing it.
But now, one sentence had destroyed his entire illusion.
Charlotte Vale is the rightful owner.
And the woman herself had delivered the message.
At 8:00 a.m., the main entrance of Solmere Headquarters was already surrounded by employees.
The building stood at the center of the financial district like a monument to wealth.
A towering glass structure reflecting the morning sun.
Inside those walls were thousands of employees.
Executives.
Managers.
Investors.
People whose careers depended on the decisions made in that building.
Normally, Richard Blackwood would arrive first.
Normally, everyone would stand and greet him.
Normally, he was the person who controlled the room.
But today was different.
Today, everyone was waiting for someone else.
A black luxury sedan stopped outside the entrance.
The doors opened.
Charlotte stepped out.
No designer dress.
No expensive jewelry.
No attempt to prove her wealth.
She wore a simple black suit.
Elegant.
Professional.
Controlled.
The same people who had ignored her yesterday now stood frozen.
Because they finally understood something.
Real power did not need to announce itself.
It simply arrived.
Charlotte walked toward the entrance.
The security guards immediately straightened.
One of them stepped forward.
“Miss Vale.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“Yes?”
The guard hesitated.
“Welcome back.”
Charlotte gave a small nod.
“Thank you.”
Those two words carried more weight than anyone expected.
Because she remembered.
Years ago, when she was a child, this same guard had given her candy from his pocket whenever she visited her father.
He had not forgotten her.
Unlike many others.
Inside the lobby, employees watched silently.
Some looked nervous.
Some looked ashamed.
Some looked afraid.
Charlotte noticed all of them.
But she said nothing.
Today was not about revenge.
Not yet.
Today was about information.
The elevator doors opened.
Charlotte entered.
The executive floor waited above.
The battlefield.
Richard Blackwood had spent the entire night preparing.
His office looked exactly the same.
Dark wooden furniture.
Expensive paintings.
A view of the entire city.
Everything represented success.
Everything represented control.
But for the first time in years, Richard felt like a guest in his own office.
Across from him sat three people.
Victoria Sterling.
Daniel Cross.
And Marcus Vale.
The three people who had helped him maintain control.
Victoria looked nervous.
“I don’t understand.”
Richard didn’t look at her.
“What?”
“How could she still have ownership?”
Nobody answered.
Because everyone in the room knew the truth.
They had underestimated her.
Daniel Cross, the company’s chief financial officer, adjusted his glasses.
“Richard, this is a serious problem.”
Richard slowly turned.
“Do you think I don’t know that?”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“If she starts reviewing the financial records…”
He stopped.
That was enough.
Richard understood.
There were things hidden.
Payments.
Private agreements.
Transfers.
Things that could destroy careers.
Victoria looked between them.
“What happens now?”
Richard finally looked at her.
For the first time, his expression showed irritation.
“Now?”
He stood.
“Now we make sure Charlotte never gains complete control.”
Victoria frowned.
“But she already proved she owns the company.”
Richard smiled.
A cold smile.
“Ownership is not the same as power.”
The others remained silent.
Because that was how Richard had always operated.
He didn’t steal things openly.
He weakened people.
He isolated them.
He destroyed their credibility before taking what he wanted.
And now Charlotte was his target.
“She is young.”
Richard continued.
“She has no experience running a global empire.”
Daniel nodded slowly.
“She may have the legal authority…”
“But not the support.”
Richard finished.
A dangerous calm returned to his voice.
“We control the board.”
Victoria smiled slightly.
“So what do we do?”
Richard looked out the window.
“We remind everyone that Charlotte Vale is not ready.”
At 9:30 a.m., Charlotte entered the executive conference room.
Twenty board members were already waiting.
Some avoided eye contact.
Some looked uncomfortable.
Others looked curious.
At the center of the table sat Richard Blackwood.
Still confident.
Still pretending nothing had changed.
“Charlotte.”
He smiled.
“Please sit.”
Charlotte took the seat at the head of the table.
The one that belonged to her father.
The one Richard had occupied for six months.
A quiet message.
Everyone noticed.
Richard remained standing.
“As everyone knows, Charlotte Vale has returned.”
A few board members nodded.
Richard continued.
“We welcome her.”
Charlotte almost smiled.
Welcome.
Another beautiful word hiding ugly intentions.
“But,” Richard said.
There it was.
The word everyone expected.
“But.”
“We must consider what is best for Solmere Empire.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“Meaning?”
Richard folded his hands.
“Meaning leadership requires experience.”
A board member named Henry Wilson spoke.
“Miss Vale, nobody doubts your family connection.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“But?”
Henry sighed.
“But running a company of this size is different from inheriting it.”
The room became quiet.
Charlotte studied their faces.
They weren’t attacking her.
Not directly.
They were testing her.
Seeing if she would become emotional.
If she would lose control.
If she would prove their argument.
Charlotte opened a folder.
“I agree.”
Everyone looked surprised.
Richard raised an eyebrow.
“You agree?”
“Yes.”
Charlotte calmly placed several documents on the table.
“Experience matters.”
She looked around.
“Which is why I spent the last six months studying every department inside Solmere Empire.”
Silence.
She continued.
“I reviewed our hotel performance.”
Another document.
“Our investment portfolios.”
Another.
“Construction projects.”
Another.
“And financial records.”
Daniel Cross suddenly became uncomfortable.
Charlotte noticed.
Good.
She had found the first crack.
Richard leaned forward.
“You had access to company documents?”
Charlotte looked at him.
“Of course.”
A pause.
“I am the owner.”
The room went silent.
Then Charlotte opened the final folder.
“This is why I requested an independent audit.”
Richard’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
An audit.
The word every corrupt executive feared.
Charlotte continued.
“Starting today, every financial transaction from the past six months will be reviewed.”
Daniel’s face became pale.
Richard immediately interrupted.
“That is unnecessary.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because the company has been operating successfully.”
She nodded.
“Success does not mean everything is clean.”
The sentence struck the room.
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
“You are accusing people without evidence.”
Charlotte calmly replied:
“No.”
She looked directly at him.
“I am searching for evidence.”
The door suddenly opened.
A young assistant rushed inside.
“Mr. Blackwood…”
Everyone turned.
The assistant looked nervous.
“What is it?”
The assistant swallowed.
“The auditors have arrived.”
Richard froze.
Charlotte leaned back.
Because this was only the beginning.
The first door had opened.
And behind that door were six months of secrets.
Richard had built his empire on hidden lies.
But Charlotte Vale was about to turn on the lights.
And when darkness disappeared…
May you like
everyone would see what had been hiding inside.
End of Chapter 3
