Yours, Until Needed
Chapter 49: Execution

Chapter 49: Execution

The members were still reeling from the Chairman’s statement when someone decided to chime in.

"Impossible! Haven’t we been double-checking each project’s accounting?" One member said to his seatmate. And several other board members speculated and doubted until Mr. Barton flashed the data we had prepared.

"Now, does anyone care to explain?" Grandpa looked at the man who stood frozen by the projection.

"What about you, Mr. Sollen? Do you have any opinions?" Mr. Sollen suddenly paled. It’s not a good look for someone who claims innocence.

"None right now, Mr. Chairman. We’ll have to review the documents to find where the errors are."

"Errors? How awfully consistent are these errors? They are even more consistent than your monthly attendance." Sneered Grandpa. The more I see, the more convinced I am that such a thing is genetic. That right there was a much older Lucian.

"But Chairman, don’t the numbers always match? Haven’t we triple-checked these?"

"Of course they would. We never got these missing materials after all. We didn’t even know about these in the first place. And I wonder why?

"Mr. Chairman, maybe someone just wants to create an internal strife. Especially this close to the final bidding. It’s the perfect time to plant doubts." Reasoned Mr. Sollen in that impassioned tone that’s well-honed from years of corporate bullshit.

"Internal Strife, you say? That’s a good excuse." And Mr. Sollen winced from that, probably realizing he sounded too eager.

"Twelve years of data for one internal strife, isn’t that one dedicated mole then?"

The Chairman rhythmically tapped his fingers on the desk, the same way Lucian does when he decides when to go for the kill.

"Sir! Where would those data even come from? Aren’t those contracts and copies of delivery receipts? How can we be sure about its reliability?" He pleaded, trying to discredit me instead.

"Reliability? Does the owner sound good enough for you?" Lucian suddenly interjected, visibly irritated at the situation.

And the room buzzed with murmurs and side-long glances.

"Then why now? Sir, I really think they’re just trying to stir something up! If they wanted us to fail, this would be the perfect time!" His eyes widened, probably satisfied with how convincing he was.

"Sorry. That was my bad." The urge to speak up was strong, so I did.

"Had I looked years ago, I could’ve unraveled this earlier. And you’re right, Mr. Sollen, this is the perfect time. Right before making a bad decision." I smiled at him, my eyes turning into crescent slits.

Mr. Sollen looked shocked and then aghast. This idiot probably thought he could overwhelm me with seniority.

"You did this? Who are you to make up false accusations?!" He sounded indignant, your typical oldie trying to chastise a trainee.

"Eliana Selene Sinclair, the wife of your VP. Oh! And the only heir to the entire Anderson Group. I almost forgot." I grinned while placing a hand under my chin.

"Are those enough for legitimacy? But if it’s not, then that’s fine. I have something better."

I didn’t really want to use this, but this guy was too dishonest.

"Grandpa, is it okay if I ask Mr. Barton to play a little something for us? "I asked while showing my phone." The Chairman nodded over to Mr. Barton, who quickly played the file I pointed to.

Lucian looked at me, curious to know what that was since I had never gotten the chance to show him, as I had received it while the meeting was already underway.

The projection flashed before a security guard came into view.

"Good morning, Sir. We’re here to deliver the metal furring channels as scheduled. We’ll start unloading if you give us directions to the warehouse." Asked the wearer of the camera.

"Good morning. If it’s the metal furrings, go to warehouse three."

The video showed the truck driver’s view as he drove into warehouse number three.

"Sir, we’re from Foundation Tools, here to deliver the scheduled metal furring channels and the redeemed furrings."

The warehouse keeper nodded, and a forklift soon arrived to take out the inventory. Then he said, "The base purchases go here, and the bonus ones go in there."

It was funny how several people stood up in surprise because the extra materials really did exist.

Some even murmured that the warehousing department was the problem.

"Okay, Sir, let me cross-check the serial numbers, and then please sign our delivery receipts."

As part of Foundation’s standard operating procedures, they document the serial number by passing it through the camera in case further proof is needed, just like now.

The video catches the wearer handing over two delivery receipts, a standard practice when delivering purchases with redeemed materials. And the storehouse keeper did sign both.

"Thank you, Sir! We’ll return with the next batch as scheduled. Have a nice day!"

That was the first video. Then came a slew of similar clips, delivering materials from concrete mixes, metal frames, metal studs, and even lumber. Not even paint and adhesives escaped.

If I had the choice, I would have sent all of the footage we had, but instead, I had them pick out footage for different projects over the years, all with varying warehouse attendants.

Now, try blaming the warehousing staff for that.

The people who could sit in this room all had enough IQ to process what the clips meant. If everyone knew about the materials from the very beginning and no one even looked one bit covert in trying to hide them, then it must have been what they were taught to do.

So this time, they all looked at Mr. Sollen, who was perspiring despite the cold blast from the air conditioner.

"So, as the person accountable for purchasing and storing the materials, would you like to explain the whereabouts of all those?" The Chairman stopped tapping on the desk, and the room was eerily quiet.

"Mr. Chairman! I swear I had no idea that such a thing was happening. Let me look for them myself."

"You’ll look for them yourself?"

"Yes, Sir! I swear to give you an explanation as soon as possible!"

"There’s no need. We’ve already found the depot. The warehousing staff were kind enough to guide us to this storage facility." Lucian said as he leaned forward, his shoulders squared as if ready to pounce.

He looks feral and handsome like this. Of course, I could say that because I wasn’t the one about to die. But still, give credit where credit is due.

If Mr. Sollen had managed to keep a semblance of innocence earlier, there’s no way around it now. He almost fell back, only cushioned by the wall behind him.

Then Grandpa signaled Mr. Barton, who opened the boardroom to the waiting security personnel.

Mr. Sollen even tried escaping, only failing because his legs were probably too mushy for that. His assistant was a lot smarter. He immediately went to Mr. Barton, informing him of his full cooperation in the investigation.

He was going to get sacked, but whether or not he would get prison time depended on how complicit he was to all of this.

"Expect a large-scale investigation into this. This may not have affected our clients, but it has affected the bottom line of Sinclair Construction Corp."

Then, the Chairman left with us in tow. And the boardroom looked like it hosted an execution.