Most systems maintain automated logs even when files are deleted. "I'll help Daniel trace the shell companies. " Imani offered. "I've seen how corporate structures are used to hide health care pricing schemes. The patterns are similar. " Nia's phone buzzed one final time. The message was from Graham's assistant.
Formal, cold, precise. Notice of emergency board session date. Tomorrow, 9:00 a.m. Location. Aegis Global Headquarters.
Attendance mandatory subject review of material contract breach. The first rays of dawn were just starting to lighten the eastern sky. Nia looked at her father's books, at her daughter's fierce expression, at her oldest friend's steady presence, at the unexpected ally taking notes in her doorway. The trap had been set long before tonight. But traps could be dismantled if you understood their mechanism.
"Let's get to work. " she said. "We have until sunrise to find what they don't want us to see. " The glass doors of Aegis headquarters parted silently as Nia strode through them at 8:45 a.m. Her heels clicked against the polished marble floor. Each step precise and measured despite her exhaustion. She'd had exactly 2 hours of sleep.
Fueled now by determination and black coffee. The vast lobby, usually a source of pride with its cascading water feature and living wall of tropical plants, felt like a stage set for her humiliation. Every flat screen mounted on the walls played the same footage. Nia at the gala, her face stern as she canceled the deal. No context, no Arabic exchange, just her looking, as Imani had predicted, like an angry black woman lashing out at powerful men.
Employees scattered near the security desk pretended to study their phones, but she felt their sideways glances. A junior analyst actually stumbled backward to avoid her path. The security guard, Marcus, gave her a subtle nod of support as she passed through the turnstile. "Morning, Ms. Albright," he said quietly.
"Don't let them shake you. " The executive elevator opened directly into the top floor's mahogany-lined corridor. Through glass walls, she could already see Graham Vale holding court in the main conference room. Eight board members sat around the massive table with two more joining via video screen. Their heads turned as one when she entered. "Ah, Nia," Graham said, his voice oily with false concern.
"Thank you for joining us. We were just reviewing the preliminary market impact assessment. " She took her seat at the table's head. Leila sliding in beside her with an armful of documents. The room smelled of expensive cologne and anxiety. "Before we begin," Graham continued, "I want to emphasize that this emergency session is about protecting shareholder value.
Nothing personal. The events of last night have already triggered significant "Cut to it, Graham," Nia interrupted. "How bad is the manufactured crisis? " His smile tightened. "Pre-market trading has our stock down 12%. Three institutional investors have requested urgent clarity about leadership stability.
The lending consortium's risk team is reviewing our credit facilities. All because I refused to sign a deal that wasn't properly vetted? " Nia kept her voice level. "A deal whose final documents were deliberately withheld from legal review? "That's a serious accusation," said Malcolm Peters, one of the board's oldest members. He wouldn't meet her eyes.