Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING AT HARMON TOWER
Three days later, the boardroom at Harmon Capital’s Manhattan headquarters was packed to capacity. Board members whispered anxiously among themselves. Rumors had been swirling through Wall Street for forty-eight hours: Natalie Voss had been abruptly cast out of the Harmon estate, and simultaneous federal raids had hit a shell corporation in Boston tied to her family’s bankrupt shipping empire.
The double doors swung open, and Ethan Harmon walked in.
He wore a bespoke charcoal suit, his tie perfectly knotted, his expression an impenetrable mask of absolute authority. Beside him walked a woman in a simple, elegant navy blue blazer—Rosa Morales. She held a leather portfolio containing the legal restitution documents prepared by Marcus.
“Gentlemen,” Ethan said, taking his seat at the head of the polished oak table. “Before we begin the quarterly review, we have a matter of internal governance and historical restitution to address.”
A senior board member, Arthur Pendelton, adjusted his glasses nervously. “Ethan, with all due respect, the markets are reacting to the police raids in Boston involving Miss Voss. Investors are jittery. Do we really have time for internal restructuring right now?”
“Arthur,” Ethan replied, his voice cutting through the room like cold steel. “Natalie Voss was embezzling funds and insider-trading using stolen intellectual property belonging to my late mother’s estate. She is currently in federal custody facing up to twenty years in prison. If you find market jitters inconvenient, feel free to sell your shares. I’ll buy them at a discount.”
A stunned silence fell over the boardroom. Pendelton swallowed hard and sat back down.
“Furthermore,” Ethan continued, gesturing toward Rosa, “effective immediately, Rosa Morales is appointed as the Director of the Harmon Family Foundation and Chief Curator of the Harmon Estate Archives. She will oversee the complete audit of all philanthropic trusts established by my mother—including those that were illegally redirected over the past decade.”
Rosa stepped forward, her hands steady, her chin held high. She looked every bit the strong, resilient woman her mother had raised her to be. She opened her portfolio and placed the recovered legal documents before the board.
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“Let’s begin,” Ethan said, a rare, genuine smile touching the corner of his lips.
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