Chapter 5 - The Truth in the Boardroom
The Herrera Continental boardroom occupied the highest floor of the company’s headquarters.
Its walls were glass.
Its table was black stone.
Its silence felt sharper than either.
By the time Alejandro and Victoria entered, every seat was filled.
Twelve board members sat around the table. Lawyers stood near the walls. Assistants moved quietly between them, placing tablets and financial reports in front of each director.
At the far end sat Ricardo Salazar.
He was in his early sixties, silver-haired, elegantly dressed, and perfectly calm.
He looked exactly like the kind of man people trusted without asking why.
Ricardo glanced at Victoria.
“So the rumors brought their own evidence.”
Alejandro pulled out a chair for her.
“She is here because the article concerns her company.”
Ricardo smiled.
“Her company?”
He tapped the report in front of him.
“Herrera Continental owns fifty-one percent.”
Victoria sat.
“Then I suppose I belong here more than you expected.”
Several directors exchanged looks.
Ricardo leaned back.
“I expected many things from you, Miss Montgomery. Humility was not among them.”
“Neither was honesty, apparently.”
Alejandro took the seat beside her.
“Let us begin.”
A director named Margaret Sloan cleared her throat.
“The article has already affected the stock price. We are down four percent in after-hours trading.”
Another director added, “Three institutional investors have requested clarification.”
Ricardo folded his hands.
“And what clarification can we offer?”
Alejandro looked at him.
“The truth.”
Ricardo’s expression did not change.
“That would be refreshing.”
Alejandro pressed a control on the table. A large screen illuminated behind him.
The Montgomery Design Group investment agreement appeared.
“The board approved this transaction three months ago,” Alejandro said. “The investment was made through our strategic development division.”
Ricardo interrupted.
“Based on your recommendation.”
“Yes.”
“Without disclosing your personal interest in Miss Montgomery.”
Victoria looked at Alejandro.
He remained calm.
“There was no personal relationship when the contract was signed.”
Ricardo turned toward her.
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“Not even attraction?”
Victoria held his gaze.
“Attraction is not a financial agreement.”
A few directors shifted in their seats.
Ricardo smiled faintly.
“So there was attraction.”
Alejandro’s voice sharpened.
“This is a board meeting, not a tabloid interview.”
“The tabloids are currently controlling the market, Alejandro.”
Ricardo slid a photograph across the table.
It showed Alejandro and Victoria leaving the factory.
Another photograph showed them in the cafeteria.
A third showed Alejandro entering Victoria’s office late at night.
Ricardo looked around the table.
“These images create an obvious impression.”
Victoria picked up the last photograph.
“That was the night you published the story.”
Ricardo raised an eyebrow.
“You think I arranged the photographs?”
“The Continental Ledger belongs to your media group.”
“Through a separate holding company.”
“Which you control.”
Ricardo smiled.
“Careful, Miss Montgomery. Public embarrassment appears to make you suspicious.”
Victoria placed the photograph down.
“Public embarrassment once made me cruel. I am trying not to repeat that mistake.”
Ricardo’s smile weakened.
Alejandro opened a financial presentation.
“Montgomery Design Group has exceeded every recovery target.”
Figures appeared on the screen.
Revenue growth.
Reduced debt.
Client retention.
New contracts.
Alejandro continued.
“The company is currently ahead of projections by fourteen percent.”
Director Sloan studied the report.
“The turnaround is stronger than expected.”
Ricardo glanced at her.
“A profitable mistake remains a mistake.”
Victoria turned toward him.
“Then show us the mistake.”
Ricardo’s eyes narrowed.
“The investment was compromised by a personal relationship.”
“The relationship began after the contract.”
“You expect us to take your word for that?”
“No.”
Victoria placed her phone on the table.
“I expect you to review every email, calendar entry, contract draft, and financial record.”
She looked at the company’s general counsel.
“You have my permission.”
The lawyer nodded.
Ricardo watched her carefully.
Victoria continued.
“I also want the board to hear the part the article left out.”
Alejandro looked at her.
She stood.
Her hands were steady.
“At the Herrera gala, I treated a man I believed was a chauffeur with contempt.”
The room became still.
“I told him that his uniform defined his position in society. I insulted him because I believed he had no power to affect my life.”
Ricardo looked almost amused.
Victoria did not stop.
“That man was Alejandro Herrera.”
Several board members already knew. Others looked surprised.
“He had disguised himself to observe how guests treated employees. I failed that test completely.”
Ricardo leaned forward.
“And this helps your case?”
“It explains it.”
She walked slowly around the table.
“I came to the gala because my company needed investment. I hoped to impress Mr. Herrera. Instead, I revealed the worst part of myself before I knew his name.”
She looked directly at Ricardo.
“He did not rescue me because he admired me. He offered terms that took control of my company away from me.”
One director glanced at the contract.
“Fifty-one percent.”
“Yes,” Victoria said. “He gave me six months to prove I was capable of leading.”
“And if you failed?” Margaret asked.
“I would resign.”
Ricardo tapped the table.
“A convenient arrangement. He receives the company, and you remain close to him.”
Victoria smiled coldly.
“You published photographs. Why not publish the contract?”
Ricardo said nothing.
“Why not publish the performance reports?”
Still nothing.
“Why not mention that I sold my apartment to repay a loan I personally guaranteed?”
Director Sloan looked toward Alejandro.
“Is that true?”
“Yes,” Alejandro said.
Victoria continued.
“The article was not designed to reveal corruption. It was designed to create shame.”
She paused.
“I know the difference because I used to do the same thing.”
Ricardo’s expression hardened.
“That is a touching speech. It does not address the risk to shareholders.”
Alejandro stood.
“The risk to shareholders is not Victoria.”
He changed the image on the screen.
A series of bank transfers appeared.
Ricardo’s face remained composed, but his fingers tightened.
Alejandro looked around the room.
“For six months, our internal audit team has investigated irregular consulting payments connected to Salazar Media Holdings.”
Ricardo’s lawyer stepped forward.
“This meeting was called to discuss Mr. Herrera’s conflict of interest.”
“It was called to discuss threats to the company,” Alejandro replied.
He enlarged one transfer.
“Twelve million dollars moved from a Herrera Continental supplier into an offshore company controlled by Ricardo’s nephew.”
Ricardo laughed once.
“That is absurd.”
“Another nine million moved through a logistics contractor.”
“Fabricated.”
“A third payment was routed through the Continental Ledger.”
Ricardo looked at the screen.
For the first time, his confidence flickered.
Alejandro continued.
“The same publication that released the story about Victoria.”
Director Sloan turned toward Ricardo.
“Did your company receive money from a Herrera supplier?”
Ricardo’s lawyer spoke.
“My client will not answer speculative accusations.”
Victoria watched Ricardo.
Alejandro had been right.
Enemies were easier to observe across a table.
Ricardo stood.
“This is retaliation.”
“No,” Alejandro said. “This is evidence.”
The boardroom doors opened.
Two federal investigators entered with company security.
Ricardo’s lawyer stepped in front of him.
“What is this?”
The lead investigator displayed a warrant.
“Mr. Salazar, we need access to your office, electronic devices, and financial records.”
Ricardo looked at Alejandro.
“You brought federal agents into your own company?”
“I brought them to you.”
Ricardo’s mask finally broke.
“You arrogant child.”
Alejandro did not move.
“My father trusted you.”
“Your father was weak.”
The words came too quickly.
The room froze.
Alejandro’s face changed.
Ricardo realized what he had said.
Victoria watched him closely.
“What did you do to his father?” she asked.
Ricardo turned toward her.
“Stay out of this.”
“You used the newspaper to destroy me because you thought I was an easy target.”
“You are an easy target.”
“No.”
Victoria stepped closer.
“I was once. There is a difference.”
The investigator moved between them.
“Mr. Salazar, hand over your phone.”
Ricardo ignored him.
He pointed at Alejandro.
“You think this board will follow you after this? You bring scandal into the company, involve yourself with a desperate woman, and attack the man who helped build your father’s empire.”
Alejandro’s voice was low.
“You helped build it. Then you began stealing from it.”
“You cannot prove anything.”
“Perhaps not tonight.”
The investigator held out his hand again.
“The phone.”
Ricardo slowly removed it from his pocket.
Before handing it over, he looked at Victoria.
“You think he respects you?”
She said nothing.
“He tests everyone because he trusts no one. Eventually, he will test you again.”
Alejandro’s jaw tightened.
Ricardo smiled.
“And when you fail, he will discard you just like the rest.”
Victoria looked at Alejandro.
For one brief second, doubt entered the room between them.
Ricardo saw it.
His smile widened.
Then Victoria turned back to him.
“The first time Alejandro tested me, I didn’t know who he was.”
She glanced around the boardroom.
“This time, I know exactly who you are.”
Ricardo’s smile disappeared.
The investigators escorted him out.
No one spoke until the doors closed.
Margaret Sloan looked toward Alejandro.
“We need an immediate vote regarding Mr. Salazar’s suspension.”
The vote was unanimous.
Then she looked at Victoria.
“And regarding the investment?”
Alejandro remained silent.
Victoria stood beside him.
Margaret reviewed the performance reports.
“I move that the board affirm the transaction and open a formal independent review to eliminate any concern of favoritism.”
Another director seconded the motion.
The vote passed ten to one.
Victoria exhaled slowly.
The company had survived.
Alejandro had survived.
But the room still felt unfinished.
Margaret closed her folder.
“There is one more matter.”
Alejandro looked at her.
“The public statement.”
“I will handle it,” he said.
Victoria shook her head.
“We will handle it.”
Ricardo’s warning remained in her mind.
He tests everyone because he trusts no one.
She looked at Alejandro.
He met her gaze but revealed nothing.
The board members began leaving.
When they were alone, Victoria spoke.
“Did you know Ricardo would publish the story?”
“No.”
“Did you know the investigation would lead to him?”
“I suspected it.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I did not want you involved.”
“You let me walk into that room without knowing half the danger.”
“I was protecting you.”
She laughed bitterly.
“You keep using that word.”
“You heard what he said.”
“I heard him. I also heard you.”
Alejandro stepped toward her.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You trusted me enough to stand beside you in public.”
“Yes.”
“But not enough to tell me the truth in private.”
His expression hardened.
“This investigation concerned my father’s death.”
“And you think that makes secrecy less painful?”
“It makes it necessary.”
“To whom?”
“To me.”
Victoria looked at him for a long moment.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The test.”
“I did not test you.”
“You brought me into a boardroom and waited to see whether I would survive information you refused to share.”
“That was not my intention.”
“Intentions are not the only things that matter. You taught me that.”
Alejandro looked away.
For the first time, she saw uncertainty in him.
Not calculated silence.
Not billionaire control.
Fear.
Victoria softened, but only slightly.
“I meant what I said in there. I care about you.”
His eyes returned to hers.
“But I will not build something with a man who expects honesty while hiding behind locked doors.”
She picked up her bag.
“Victoria.”
She stopped.
“I don’t know how to do this,” he said.
“Do what?”
“Trust someone when losing them could be used against me.”
Her expression changed.
“That is the first honest thing you’ve said tonight.”
She opened the door.
“Now decide whether it is enough.”
Victoria left him alone in the boardroom.
The company had won.
May you like
The truth had won.
But neither of them knew whether they had.
