Roaring, Robert lunged forward. His face, a mask of fury, contorted into something ugly. Two security guards, anticipating his outburst, smoothly intercepted him. They held him back, their grip firm on his shoulders. Robert struggled, sputtering incoherent threats at Alistair. Board members watched, eyes wide with alarm. Whispers erupted, spreading like wildfire through the room. Alistair remained unmoving, his gaze steady on Robert. He had expected this reaction. It was the only card Robert had left. Lyra, however, felt a surge of resolve. Alistair's unwavering support, his unconditional offer, solidified her loyalty. Her sister's future, once a crushing weight, now felt like a beacon of hope. She straightened her shoulders, clutching the encrypted tablet tighter. This was for Maya. This was for Elena. Speaking up, Lyra's voice cut through the rising murmurs. "Gentlemen, please. There's more you need to see." All eyes swiveled to her. Robert paused his struggle, his eyes narrowing dangerously on Lyra. He clearly didn't anticipate her intervention. Alistair offered a small, reassuring nod. Lyra approached the main display screen, her fingers flying across the tablet's surface. A complex spreadsheet materialized, glowing starkly against the dark paneling. Rows of figures, color-coded and highlighted, immediately caught the board's attention. "This is a copy of the company's Q3 ledger from three years ago," Lyra explained, her voice clear and precise. She tapped a section, zooming in on specific entries. "Specifically, the ‘Capital Development’ fund." Robert scoffed. "Nonsense! That's been audited a dozen times!" "Indeed," Lyra agreed, not breaking eye contact with the board. "But not by forensic accountants with access to raw server logs." She pointed to a series of unusually large, round-number transactions. "These entries here, totaling over forty million dollars, were approved by Mr. Sterling." Lyra paused, letting the sum sink in. "They were logged as investments in a shell corporation, 'Sterling Innovations Group.'" Several board members exchanged uneasy glances. "And that's important because...?" asked Mr. Davies, an older, skeptical member. Alistair stepped forward, joining Lyra at the screen. "Because Sterling Innovations Group never existed," he stated, his voice calm but firm. "Not as a legitimate entity, anyway." He gestured to a secondary window Lyra pulled up. "Our investigation found that all funds funneled into this 'group' were immediately rerouted." "They flowed into a network of offshore accounts." Lyra then displayed the final recipient of the funds. A single name flashed on the screen: Robert Sterling. A collective gasp rippled through the room. Robert's face drained of color, his jaw going slack. His eyes darted from the screen to Alistair, then to Lyra, a desperate panic dawning. "Impossible! A fabrication!" he shrieked, finding his voice. "These are forged documents!" Alistair shook his head slowly. "We have bank records, Mr. Sterling." "We have digital signatures. We have IP logs tracing approvals back to your personal office network." "And," Lyra added, pulling up one last document, "we have Elena Thorne's last internal audit report." The board members leaned in, their attention fully captured. "This report," Lyra continued, "dated two days before her disappearance, details a preliminary finding of 'significant financial irregularities' within the Capital Development fund." Alistair took over, his voice now colder, sharper. "Elena was close to exposing this entire scheme." "She was about to blow the whistle on Robert's systematic embezzlement." "Her 'accident' was no accident." The room fell into a stunned silence. Gasps turned into hushed accusations. Board members, who minutes ago had been ready to vote Alistair out, now looked at Robert with disgust. "Robert, how could you?" Mr. Davies whispered, shaking his head. Another board member slammed a fist on the table. "This is treason!" Robert's composure shattered. He glared at Alistair, his eyes burning with a venomous rage. Cornered, desperate, he pointed a trembling finger. "You!" he spat, his voice raw with fury. "You knew about this!" "You knew about Elena!" "You always knew more about her fate than you let on, Alistair!" His voice rose to a guttural scream, echoing through the now silent boardroom. "You protected her, then you let her die!" "You are as guilty as I am!" Alistair's expression remained impassive, but a muscle twitched in his jaw. Lyra felt a chill run down her spine as Robert's desperate accusation hung heavy in the air. The word count is 882 words.

Unmasked Traitor