Chapter 5 - Confrontation at the Grand Hotel
Richard Vance stopped short, his thick eyebrows knitting together in cold fury. “Who let this woman speak? Theodore, control your wife.”
Theo stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on Vance. “My wife speaks for the Alden Family Trust, Senator. If she says the deal is dead, it’s dead.”
Victoria let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Is this a joke? Theo, you kissed me in front of fifty news cameras last night! Your reputation is in the gutter! If you back out of this merger now, my father will pull your port clearance before sunset. You’ll be ruined!”
Marina stood up calmly from her chair. She walked slowly around the table until she stood just two feet away from Victoria Vance.
Up close, the contrast between the two women was absolute. Victoria was tall, flashy, and desperate for power; Marina was understated, composed, and dangerous.
“You staged that broadcast, Victoria,” Marina said, her gray eyes narrowing. “You thought if you compromised my husband, I would run away crying, file for divorce, and leave the family assets vulnerable in a messy legal battle.”
Victoria raised her chin arrogantly. “He came to me, sweetie. He liked holding my waist. He liked the attention. A man doesn't cheat when he’s happy at home.”
Snap.
The sound of Marina’s hand striking Victoria’s cheek was as sharp as a gunshot.
Victoria gasped, staggering back two steps, her hand clutching her flushed face in absolute shock. Senator Vance snarled, stepping forward, but Theo instantly stepped between Vance and Marina, his large hand resting near his jacket lining, his dark eyes burning with protective rage.
“Don't even think about it, Vance,” Theo growled.
Marina stepped back, adjusting her cuffs smoothly, her face showing not a single trace of emotion.
“That was for disrespecting my family,” Marina said coldly to Victoria. “And as for your port clearances, Senator Vance... you might want to check your private secure email.”
Vance’s phone buzzed violently in his pocket. He frowned, pulling it out. As he scanned the incoming message from his chief legal counsel, his face turned from red to an ash-gray pale.
“What is this?” Vance stammered, his hand shaking.
“Those are the medical transport manifests from 2018 through 2024,” Marina explained smoothly. “Every illegal shipment of unlicensed pharmaceuticals your daughter’s shell company moved through the Atlantic docks went through my father’s medical logistics network. I hold the original digital signatures, Senator. If you touch one Alden shipping permit, those files go directly to the Federal Prosecutor’s office.”
Richard Vance stared at Marina as if he were seeing a ghost. He looked at Victoria, whose face was now entirely white with terror.
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“Get out of my tower,” Marina said softly. “Before I decide to publish the rest of the ledgers.”
Vance grabbed his daughter by the arm, dragging her out of the boardroom without another word, the heavy doors slamming shut behind them.
