Chapter 59 TRIAL BY EXPOSURE (ii)

Chapter 59 TRIAL BY EXPOSURE (ii)
The elevator doors slid open to reveal a massive, glass-walled conference room with a dozen corporate executives in expensive suits and dresses sitting around a long mahogany table. 

I gulped when they all looked up, their expressions shifting into masks of cold superiority as I walked inside and took the seat at the head of the table reserved for the Maddox industries representative. 

"I’ll admit, I've heard rumors that Maddox usually sends enforcers, and that was what I was expecting.” A sharp-faced woman at the far end of the table said, her eyes looking up and down my body with a sneer. “Not..." she trailed off, looking back at my face with a condescending smirk. "Where have I seen you before, dear? Are you a street whore? I could have sworn I saw you standing on one of the lower district street corners last month."

The room went silent, a few men snickering under their breath, expecting me to shrink back in shame or snap with rage.

I simply leaned back in my leather chair, offering her a calm, incredibly polite smile that didn't reach my eyes. "Nah, I know it can get confusing and frustrating seeing more beautiful women, but I think you are mistaking me with the woman your husband is currently replacing you with,” I replied smoothly, winking at her as if we were exchanging jokes. “Lord knows you clearly cannot please him yourself."

A collective chuckle rippled through the room, and the woman’s face turned violently red, her mouth swinging open in shock as she scrambled for words.

Without giving her a chance to recover, I brought up the elegant, highly educated persona of Elena Cruz and opened the ledger on the table.

"Let’s look at the numbers, gentlemen," I drawled, my voice smoothing into a smooth, aristocratic cadence that completely stunned the boardroom with how posh it sounded. "Your firm is trying to squeeze our logistics margins by twelve percent based on an outdated zoning clause. However, according to the municipal tax code of the district..."

They all subtly straightened, realizing I wasn’t someone whom they could intimidate with large words. 

For the next hour, it was a brutal game of corporate chess. I felt pure joy as I threw numbers, legal precedents, and metrics at them with a fluid, terrifying accuracy. I felt like the old me who had gotten a full scholarship to study at Columbia.

They tried to use corporate jargon to run circles around me, but I anticipated every single move, shutting down their arguments before they could even finish their sentences.

As the debate raged on, I noticed one of the senior executives across the table staring at me. He was a heavy-set man named Vance with a sharp, silver tie. His eyes were tracing the silhouette of my dress with heavy, lascivious desire. 

I knew that look. I had seen it dozens of times when moving through the shadows of my father's mafia world. It wasn't just lust; it was a dark, dirty malice. He looked like a man hiding dangerous, sickening secrets.

"Let’s take a ten-minute recess," I suddenly suggested as an idea came to me. I stood up from my seat, smoothing my dress. "I need to consult the boss before we cast the final vote on the route."

The board members began to disperse. The moment Vance walked out of the room, I slipped into the corridor and pulled out my phone, dialing my crew.

"Leo," I whispered into the receiver the second he picked up. "I need a very fast sweep on a businessman named Julian Vance. Looking at him, I just know he has some nasty tendencies, so search whatever you can on him. Narrow it down to sexual crimes."

“That’s a reach, Si. But I’m using my fastest searching software to check the police database.” Leo said, the sound of keyboards sounded in the background for a few seconds before he continued. “I don’t think we would find anything on him so…”

He abruptly stopped talking and let out a whistle. “Damn, Si, how did you know?”

I chuckled smugly. “Men like that always have a look about them.”

“This sleazy bastard has multiple statutory and assault charges against him,” he said, his voice disgusted. “Jeez, about 12 over the span of five years. But most were dropped or settled out of court, and the cases were buried.”

"Send it to my phone," I commanded, hanging up.

I turned the corner, tracking Vance’s heavy scent of expensive cologne down the private executive hallway just in time to see him step into the VIP restroom at the end of the hall. 

I quickly looked around. And when I was sure no one was coming or watching, I pushed the heavy door open and followed him in without hesitation. 

Vance was washing his hands at the sink. He spun around at the sound, his eyes widening in pure surprise when he saw me locking the door behind me before a slow, arrogant smirk crawled onto his lips. 

"Well, well," he drawled, leaning back against the marble counter and crossing his arms, thinking I had followed him there to seduce him and use my body to win his vote. "You want to negotiate in private, huh? I knew that professional act was just a cover."

I walked toward him with a slow, smoky stride, my heels clicking softly on the tiles. 

I stopped inches from his chest, tilting my head up with a dangerous smile. "I am here to negotiate, Julian. But not with my body."

I turned my phone screen toward his face, displaying the different police reports Leo had sent me.

Vance’s smirk died instantly, the color draining from his face, leaving him completely pale as he stared at the screen. "Where... where the hell did you get that?"

"If you do not agree to pass the vote in our favor today," I whispered, my voice dropping into a lethal, freezing cadence near his ear, "this entire file goes straight to a very good connection I have in the press, and trust me, almost all important channels will be running it by evening. And since you are currently running for a seat in the Senate next month, I’m sure everyone will absolutely love the story, especially your opponent. It will completely ruin your career before the first ballot is cast."

Vance’s chest heaved with a violent, suppressed rage. His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white, but the sheer terror in his eyes told me I had won. He was trapped.

"You bitch," he hissed through his teeth.

"It’s Miss Sienna to you," I countered smoothly, tapping the screen before turning around. "I’ll see you back in the boardroom."

When the recess ended, and the executives gathered back around the table, the atmosphere was thick with tension. 

The sharp-faced woman was ready to object again, but Vance slammed his hand flat on the table, cutting her off.

"We are wasting valuable time here," he barked, his voice tight as he glared at his team. "Maddox terms are actually fair. We need to settle this matter immediately. Give them the shipping routes. But we will include a rider for a twenty-percent incentive on all earnings for the first month to balance the compliance."

I looked around the table, feeling smug as the remaining board members looked completely stunned by his sudden surrender, but nobody dared to argue with the senior executive.

"I can agree to those terms," I said, my voice steady and professional as the assistant handed me the digital pad. I signed the contract with a fluid, elegant flourish, cementing the victory.

Ten minutes later, I walked out of the building with a massive sense of accomplishment. This was the life I should have been living if not for Kanan's decision to end it short.

I quickly forced down the rage, trying to choke its way up my throat, and hurried to my car before Vance could find me. 

As I pulled out of the parking lot, my phone pinged. And I looked at the lit screen, expecting a frantic or annoyed text from Viper concerning the way I had handled things.

But to my surprise, the message was from an unknown number.

“Good job, Siren. You went completely beyond my expectations today. Welcome to the team.”