Chapter 5 - The Boardroom Derek Thought He Owned
The next morning, Sentinel’s board called an emergency meeting.
I attended by video from my hospital bed.
Derek joined from his attorney’s office.
He looked polished.
Calm.
Almost offended by the inconvenience.
The chairman asked whether he had authorized the Belize transfers.
Derek blamed me.
He said I controlled all finances.
I shared my screen.
Each transfer carried his private approval code.
The code required biometric confirmation from his phone.
He could not explain that.
Then the auditor presented payments to Mason.
Money had been labeled security consulting.
In reality, it funded surveillance of Alison, me, and several board members.
Derek’s confidence finally cracked.
“This is a hostile takeover.”
“No,” I said.
“This is corporate governance.”
The board voted to remove him as chief executive pending investigation.
My thirty-eight percent stake made the decision possible.
He stared at me through the screen.
“You built nothing without me.”
I looked at the financial statements.
“I built everything you were too busy taking credit for.”
The vote passed.
Derek was removed from Sentinel.
His access cards were disabled.
His company accounts were frozen.
Within minutes, he attempted to transfer money through an offshore account.
The transaction triggered the emergency controls I had activated.
Federal investigators received the alert.
Derek was arrested outside his attorney’s office.
My parents watched the news from their temporary apartment.
Mother called me again.
This time, she sounded frightened.
“Your father may be questioned.”
“He accepted money from Derek.”
“He didn’t know.”
“He knew enough not to ask.”
She began begging.
Not for me.
For the house.
For Dad’s business.
For their reputation.
“I’m your mother.”
“You were also the woman who told me to return to the man who put me in intensive care.”
“I was scared.”
“So was I.”
I ended the call.
That evening, Detective Cruz brought me another update.
Search teams had found human remains near an abandoned quarry.
A bracelet recovered nearby matched one owned by Alison.
Forensic testing would take time.
Derek now faced more than assault and financial fraud.
He might face murder.
Then Rachel entered holding a new document.
Mason had signed a sworn statement.
He claimed my father helped Derek create the offshore company used to move the money.
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My family’s betrayal was no longer only personal.
It was criminal.
