Chapter 35 Bait

Chapter 35 Bait
The moment Nelson left the war room for the morning, believing I was still reviewing his fake reports, I moved. My mind was sharp and cold, focused only on logistics. The files Klark had secured were the key to everything. They detailed Stanton Corporation’s full takeover strategy, complete with legal filings, stock manoeuvring, and the actual timing of the final bid. Nelson had been a thorough traitor.
I sent a single, encrypted message to Klark’s Ghost Account. The simple text confirmed I had the documents and asked for a full legal analysis.
Klark’s reply was fast and short. “Secure. Unbreakable. The game is ours.”
His confidence was the only warmth I felt. The deception of the past forty eight hours had stripped away every layer of passion and fear, leaving behind only the CEO. I had one purpose now, to destroy the enemy before they destroyed me.
My first move was to accelerate the timeline. Stanton was planning their final move for the following Tuesday. I decided we would move it to Friday and to do that, I needed to force Stanton’s hand.
I called an emergency meeting with the four remaining loyal vice presidents and my newly installed Chief Operations Officer, Nelson. Klark was still officially in his suite, everyone already noticed his absence.
“Nelson has done exceptional work tracking Richard’s contacts,” I announced, standing at the head of the long mahogany table. “We have confirmed that Stanton Corporation is circling us, trying to buy our debt for pennies.”
Nelson smiled, believing I was confirming his fake investigation.
“We will not sit here and wait,” I continued, projecting strength. “We will launch a counter-offensive. We will buy something big. We will launch a White Whale acquisition that will instantly increase our value and make a hostile takeover impossible.”
The announcement left the executives stunned. A White Whale acquisition was a massive, high risk corporate manoeuvre.
“What target, Rita?” Marcus, the head of Strategy asked.
“A technology firm based in Europe,” I replied, pulling up a mock presentation Klark and I had created moments before. “It is a massive vertical integration move. We will announce the full intent to acquire by the close of business tomorrow. This is non negotiable. It will cost us a substantial amount, but it will instantly stabilize our stock and force Stanton to reveal its position.”
I watched Nelson carefully as his eyes narrowed. This move was too large and too sudden for his planned takeover. It would disrupt his partner, Stanton. He had to react.
“Rita, this is extremely risky,” Nelson said, attempting to sound concerned, not panicked. “A move this large requires months of due diligence. We could expose ourselves to a major liability.”
“That is a risk I am willing to take, Nelson,” I said, meeting his gaze. “The alternative is that we sit here and let Stanton eat us alive. My family does not surrender. We fight.”
I knew this move would terrify the Stanton CEO. It would force them to either bid immediately, exposing their illegal insider trading, or abandon the takeover and lose millions. I was laying out the bait, and I knew he wouldn’t he able to resist.
My next step was to isolate the traitor, ensuring he could not communicate with his co conspirators without my knowledge.
“Nelson, your security work has been invaluable,” I praised him. “But this White Whale acquisition has massive security implications. Stanton will try to hack the files, and they will try to sabotage the deal. You are the only person I trust with the physical security of the European deal’s data.”
I assigned him a fake, time consuming task. “I need you to personally oversee the setup of the War Chest. It is a temporary, hardened bunker we will use to house the acquisition documents. You must personally supervise the installation of all the security protocols. This requires all your attention, no distractions. You are confined to that bunker for the next forty eight hours.”
Nelson instantly looked trapped. The job was complex, demanding, and most importantly, it physically removed him from the main war room, the finance servers, and the executive team. He could not monitor my actions.
“Of course, Rita,” Nelson said, forcing a look of honored responsibility. “I will secure the War Chest. No one will get near those documents.”
“I know they won’t,” I replied, a cold smile touching my lips. “I trust you completely, Nelson.”
As soon as he left, believing his work in the bunker was crucial, the true work began.
I immediately activated the external lawyer Klark had contacted, an aggressive, brilliant attorney named Ms. Anya Sharma. I established a secure video link with her and Klark, who was still locked in his suite.
“Ms. Sharma, we have the files,” I stated, my voice clinical. “They detail Stanton Corporation’s full plan to acquire Williamson through insider trading and illegal stock manipulation, all facilitated by Nelson.”
Klark appeared on the screen, looking tired but fiercely determined. “The documents prove they were waiting for the Richard fraud to destabilize the stock before they moved. It’s corporate conspiracy,” Klark summarized. “We need to file an injunction against Stanton immediately to freeze their assets and prevent the hostile bid.”
“We are not filing an injunction,” I said, shaking my head. “Not yet. We are going to let them commit. We are going to let them launch the bid, thinking they have won.”
Ms. Sharma looked surprised. “Rita, that is extremely high risk. If they bid, you must have a perfect defence ready.”
“We do,” I confirmed. “We have Nelson’s password, his private communications, the video of Richard, and the full details of the Stanton takeover. We are combining this with the original fraud case against Richard. We are not just defending against Stanton, we’re are filing a massive, coordinated counter suit.”
The plan was an audacious one. We would let Stanton fire their main torpedo, and only then would we fire ours, a filing so complete and devastating that it would ruin Stanton, Richard, and Nelson in a single hour.
Klark understood instantly. “We need to file our counter suit precisely at the moment of their bid announcement. It needs to hit the SEC and the news feeds simultaneously. It proves our strength and reveals their conspiracy before they can control the narrative.”
“Exactly,” I confirmed. “Ms. Sharma, I want you to prepare the final documents. You are going to file a civil lawsuit for Conspiracy to Commit Corporate Fraud, Insider Trading, and Hostile Acquisition by Deception. We are demanding damages that will bankrupt Stanton.”
Ms. Sharma smiled, her eyes gleaming with professional zeal. “That is an aggressive, brilliant strategy, Rita. We will be ready.”
The call ended and Klark was the only one left on the screen.
“It’s working, Klark,” I whispered, relief mixing with terror. “Nelson is alone and Stanton is panicking over the White Whale. The lawyers are ready.”
“The White Whale announcement goes public at 9 AM tomorrow, forcing Stanton to act,” Klark summarized. “Their hostile bid is scheduled for Monday at noon. We file our counter suit precisely at 12:01 PM on Monday.”
“That gives us seventy two hours of waiting,” I said, leaning back, the tension almost unbearable.
“Seventy two hours of you maintaining the lie with Nelson,” Klark reminded me gently. “He is secured, but he is still armed and dangerous. He will be on edge in that bunker. He will call you. He will need reassurance.”
I closed my eyes. I had to go to the bunker and reassure the traitor that I was still his fool.
“I know,” I said. “I will visit him in the War Chest tonight. I need to reward his ‘loyalty’ one last time before the clock strikes Monday.”
I looked at Klark, my true ally, my only real protection. “The board meeting is scheduled for Monday at 12:30 PM. Right after the bid and the counter filing. We will walk in there, and we will win the company back for good.”
Klark looked at me, his gaze firm and devoted. “You will win, Rita. You have already won.”
I logged off the system. The cold, ruthless strategy was complete. All that remained was the final, terrifying act of deception I had to play for Nelson, a final surrender to the lie before I could finally claim the truth. I had to endure his presence one last time to ensure he could never hurt anyone else again.