Chapter 9 Cat out of the Bag
Right now, we were all gathered in the board meeting room. A long rectangular table stretched across the space, and every prominent member of our clan sat around it. Uncle Glenn, with his neat hair mixed with strands of grey, sat two seats from the right. Diana sat closer to the middle, her expression unreadable as ever. And Rudy, of course Rudy sat at the other end of the table, leaning back with calculated laziness, but I could tell from the subtle tightening of his jaw that he was anything but relaxed.
I sat on the left side of the table, my fingers interlocked, elbows resting lightly as if I wasn’t holding the entire room hostage with the weight of my presence. The atmosphere was painfully tense; I could practically hear everyone swallowing tightly, their throats clicking like stones. No one dared meet my eyes for too long. After all, I wasn’t masking my expression today. I let it show—sharp, strong, and unapologetically cold.
Finally, I inhaled and began.
“I have something important to say,” I said, and my voice cut through the silence like a blade. “That is the reason why I called for this meeting.”
Eyes flickered my way. I kept mine steady. They needed to feel the gravity of what was coming.
As the words left my mouth, I slowly scanned my gaze around the room, letting my stare rest on each person long enough to make them uncomfortable. Then I continued.
“I did some auditing recently.” I tapped my fingers on the table, each tap slow and deliberate. “And during that audit, I discovered that some rats have been stealing… and diverting money.”
The moment the words came out, Uncle Glenn’s expression shifted violently. His brows twitched, his lips parted slightly, and his gaze darted from person to person as though trying to gauge their reactions. His shoulders stiffened, and I saw the first drop of sweat form near his temple. For a man usually composed, that crack alone spoke volumes.
Diana, however, sat there like a marble statue. Emotionless. Her fingers were neatly folded on her lap, but I caught the slight tightening in her knuckles. She was affected, she's just very good at hiding it.
“We all know,” I continued, “how big of an offense stealing is, don’t we?”
I raised my brows slightly.
No one dared to answer.
“Good,” I said, leaning back. “Then we’re all on the same page.”
Before I could move on, one of the prominent members, Branch Leader Theodore, a man notorious for trying too hard to impress raised his hand dramatically.
“Boss!” he said loudly. “If you reveal the culprit, I will instantly order their head to be—”
I raised my index finger.
A shut-up gesture.
Silence fell so quickly it felt like the air itself froze.
Theodore blinked rapidly, visibly startled. “D-did you ask me to speak?” I asked calmly.
He swallowed. “N-no, boss. My apologies.”
“Very well,” I replied, lowering my hand. “Don’t interrupt me again.”
He bowed his head repeatedly like an obedient dog.
“As I was saying,” I continued, “the culprit embezzled thirty million dollars.”
Gasps erupted around the room. Horrified whispers followed instantly. A few people’s jaws dropped. Someone at the far end muttered a curse under their breath.
“Yes,” I said with a humorless smile as the noise settled. “Shocking, right?”
The murmurs died the second my gaze swept across the table again.
I lifted my hand and snapped my fingers.
Eric, who’d been waiting quietly near the projector, immediately stepped forward. He turned it on, and the soft hum of the device filled the tense room. I opened my laptop, connected it with practiced ease, and seconds later the wall behind me lit up with spreadsheets, transaction logs, highlighted inconsistencies, and repeated withdrawals disguised under fake expenditures.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Everyone stared at the screen, their eyes widening with each slide.
But eventually, all eyes drifted to the same place.
Uncle Glenn.
Even Rudy, who rarely reacted to anything, leaned forward, his expression twisted with disbelief and simmering anger. A small ball of fire danced on his palm—flickering with his restraint.
Diana shifted for the first time, nervously rubbing her hands together beneath the table where she probably thought people wouldn’t notice. But they noticed. Everyone noticed.
Still, no one paid her any real attention yet.
I closed my laptop slowly and turned to Uncle Glenn.
“Would you mind,” I asked, my voice steady but sharp enough to cut, “explaining how thirty million dollars went missing under your watch?”
Uncle Glenn rose to his feet, though it looked more like he was forcing himself up. His black hair, streaked with grey, stood out more under the harsh meeting room lights. For a man in his early fifties, his body was still sturdy, almost youthful, like someone in their early thirties but right now he looked older than ever. His legs trembled slightly as he stood.
Everyone watched him with bloodshot eyes, as though they were silently demanding answers he couldn’t give. The pressure was suffocating. Even the air felt thick enough to choke on.
“I… I…” Uncle Glenn stuttered, his throat bobbing visibly. “This… this must be a mistake.”
“Oh?” I tilted my head. “Please enlighten us.”
He wiped his palms against his trousers, leaving faint dark streaks from sweat. “I’ve never… I would never…” His voice cracked.
Rudy’s flames flared brighter.
“You would never?” I repeated softly. “Strange. Because the logs say otherwise. The accounts say otherwise. The diverted offshore funds say otherwise. The ghost subsidiaries you approved say otherwise.”
“I didn’t approve anything!” Glenn burst, then instantly regretted raising his voice when Rudy’s eyes snapped toward him, his flames stretching taller. “I— I mean… I didn’t knowingly approve anything.”
“So you approved things unknowingly?” I asked, raising a brow.
He froze.
Silence.
“Let’s say we believe that,” I said slowly. “Let’s say you didn’t notice thirty million dollars disappearing from right under your nose. That would make you incompetent. And incompetence…” I let my gaze drift across the people watching. “Is just as deadly as betrayal.”
A few members nodded reluctantly.
Glenn’s breathing grew heavier.
“Please,” he said, his voice trembling. “You know me. You know I wouldn’t steal from the family. I raised you like a father!”
“And that is supposed to mean something?” I asked.
His eyes widened.
I stood from my seat, planting my hands on the table. The wood creaked slightly under the pressure.
“You raised me. Yes. And that makes this worse, not better.” I spoke slowly, clearly, deliberately. “You think thirty million dollars just vanished because you weren’t paying attention? You think I don’t know every transaction that moves through this clan?”
He shook his head desperately. “I—I didn’t take the money. I swear.”
“But you know who did.”
His mouth snapped shut.
That was all the confirmation I needed.
The room shifted, tension rising to a dangerous level. Several members leaned back instinctively, as if staying too close to him could implicate them.
I stepped closer.
“How long?” I asked quietly.
He stared at me, his lips quivering. “I… I can’t…”
Rudy’s flames roared loudly, and several people flinched.
“WAIT! IT'S NOT MY FAULT! IT WAS ALL DIANA’S IDEA!"