Chapter 101
Chapter 101
Rumors never entered the Cole Group quietly.
They seeped in through whispers between departments, slid across encrypted messages, and bloomed in hushed conversations behind glass–walled offices. By the time Miss Reyes received the formal summons, the story had already grown teeth.
The director is reporting to a chairman no one knows.
Funds are being transferred under her authority.
Someone above the board exists.
The email was brief. Cold. Official.
Emergency Board Meeting. Attendance Mandatory.
Miss Reyes read it once, then set her tablet down calmly. There was no change in her expression, no flicker of unease. If anything, the faint curve of her lips suggested she had been expecting this moment.
She rose, straightened her jacket, and walked out of her office as though she were heading to a routine briefing.
Inside the boardroom, however, the atmosphere was anything but routine.
The long obsidian table was already surrounded. Every seat was filled–directors, senior shareholders, legal advisors. Even members who rarely attended in person had made arrangements to be present. The air was tense, heavy with anticipation and barely concealed hostility.
At the far end of the table sat Evan Cole.
He looked composed, almost satisfied.
Miss Reyes entered without hesitation.
All conversations died instantly.
She took her seat at the head of the table–the same seat she had occupied for years–and folded her hands neatly in front of her. “Shall we begin,” she said calmly, “or would you prefer to continue staring?”
The silence cracked.
An older board member cleared his throat. “Miss Reyes, this meeting was called to address… serious concerns.”
“I assumed as much,” she replied. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have dragged half the board out of their schedules.”
Evan leaned back in his chair. “This isn’t about inconvenience. It’s about accountability.”
Miss Reyes turned her gaze toward him slowly. “Then speak plainly, Evan. You’ve been itching to.”
He didn’t bother hiding his smile.
“For weeks now,” Evan began, “significant funds have been moved under your authorization. Clean transfers. Carefully layered. Routed through subsidiaries only you directly oversee.”
A screen lit up behind him.
Figures appeared. Transaction paths. Dates. Amounts.
Murmurs rippled through the room.
Chapter 101
+25 Bonus
“One could argue they’re operational reallocations,” Evan continued, “except for one problem.”
He tapped the screen.
“They’re all being sent upward.”
The room stiffened.
“Upward?” one director echoed.
“To a chairman,” Evan said smoothly, “whose identity does not exist in our official records.”
A sharp intake of breath followed.
Another board member leaned forward. “Chairman? Miss Reyes, the Cole Group does not have a chairman above this board.”
“That’s correct,” someone else added. “The board is the highest authority.”
All eyes turned to her.
Miss Reyes did not flinch.
“Yes,” she said evenly. “That is the public structure.”
Evan seized on that. “Public structure?” He laughed softly. “Listen to her words carefully. She’s admitting it.”
He looked around the table. “She’s been reporting to someone above us. Someone she hasn’t disclosed. Someone controlling funds, decisions, approvals.”
“That’s a serious accusation,” a legal advisor warned.
“It’s not an accusation,” Evan replied. “It’s af
fact.
And I want an explanation.”
He turned back to Miss Reyes. “Who is this chairman?”
The room held its breath.
Miss Reyes met his gaze without blinking.
“The funds,” she said calmly, “are being transferred to the real owner of the Cole Group.”
The effect was immediate.
Shock rippled through the room like a physical force.
“The real–what?”
“That’s absurd.”
“There is no such person.”
One director slammed his palm on the table. “Miss Reyes, that statement borders on insanity.”
Evan’s eyes gleamed. “So now we’re inventing phantom owners?”
Miss Reyes tilted her head slightly. “Inventing? No. Correcting.”
“Correcting what?” Evan snapped.
“A misconception you’ve all grown comfortable with,” she replied. “That this company belongs to you.”
The board erupted.
Chapter 101
+25 Bonus
“That’s outrageous.”
“This is a family corporation.”
“Our shares-”
“Your shares,” Miss Reyes interrupted calmly, “were granted. Not born.”
Silence slammed down.
She continued, her voice steady, unhurried. “The Cole Group was never truly owned by the board. Not by bloodline. Not by inheritance. You were caretakers.”
Evan stood abruptly. “You’re crossing a line.”
“No,” she said coolly. “I’m finally standing on it.”
She rose to her feet, commanding the room without raising her voice.
“You want an explanation?” she asked. “Here it is. The funds you’re questioning are not missing. They are not stolen. They are not misappropriated.”
She tapped the table once. “They are returns.”
“To whom?” someone demanded.
“To the one who built this company from nothing,” Miss Reyes replied. “The one whose name you erased because it was inconvenient. The one whose existence threatens your sense of entitlement.”
Evan laughed sharply. “You expect us to believe some invisible founder is pulling strings?”
“I expect you to believe your records,” she said, eyes hardening. “If you still remember how to read them.”
A younger director hesitated. “Miss Reyes… are you saying the Cole Group has a hidden controlling shareholder?”
“Yes.”
“Who?” Evan pressed. “Say the name.”
Miss Reyes looked around the table slowly, letting the tension stretch.
“That,” she said, “is not information you’re entitled to.”
The room exploded again.
“You cannot withhold that from the board!”
“This is grounds for impeachment!”
“You’re abusing authority!”
Evan smiled thinly, “You’ve heard them. Miss Reyes, unless you provide full disclosure immediately, I will formally move to remove you as director.”
She turned toward him fully now.
“Evan,” she said quietly, “do you know why you’re so confident today?”
He sneered. “Because I have evidence.”
“No,” she corrected. “Because you think you’re sate.”
Her words landed heavier than a shout.
+25 Bonus
“You believe,” she continued, “that because the person I report to hasn’t revealed himself, he doesn’t exist.”
A few board members exchanged uneasy looks.
Miss Reyes leaned forward slightly. “That’s the mistake everyone makes–right before they lose everything.”
Evan’s jaw tightened. “You’re bluffing ”
She smiled
“If I were,” she said, “you’d already be chairman.”
Silence.
She straightened. “You may investigate. You may audit. You may call emergency votes. Do what you must.”
She met Evan’s eyes directly.
“But understand this–every fund I moved was authorized long before you ever dreamed of power. And every move you make against me… is being watched.”
“By whom?” someone asked hoarsely.
Miss Reyes paused at the door, glancing back over her shoulder.
“The real owner,” she said simply.
Comments
