Chapter 5 - The Forgery
"What are you doing here, Tristan?" I demanded, marching into the luxurious boardroom without a shred of fear.
Tristan lazily spun a gold pen in his fingers and leaned back in my father's leather chair.
"I'm merely securing my family's future, sweetheart," he mocked, waving the legal document in the air.
Carter stepped up beside me, his sharp eyes quickly scanning the paper Tristan was holding.
"That is a power of attorney document granting Tristan's family company temporary oversight of Vanguard's assets," Carter stated loudly.
"Signed by your father just ten minutes before he unfortunately collapsed at your lovely ruined wedding," Tristan grinned.
I knew immediately it was a complete lie because my father had never taken his eyes off me during the entire ceremony.
"My father never signed anything for you, that is a blatant forgery," I shot back, slamming my hands on the table.
The other board members nervously shuffled their papers, clearly intimidated by Tristan's newfound aggressive confidence.
"It has a notary stamp from the city commissioner, Ms. Evans, which makes it legally binding," one of the older executives muttered.
I realized then just how deep the corruption ran in our city if they could forge official government documents this quickly.
Tristan stood up and smoothed his expensive tie, looking down at me with absolute contempt.
"Security, please escort this hysterical woman out of my new building," Tristan ordered smoothly.
Two massive guards in black suits stepped forward, but Carter firmly placed himself between them and me.
"Under military corporate law, a disputed proxy must be investigated by a federal auditor before any assets are frozen," Carter loudly declared.
Tristan's smug smile finally faltered for a brief second.
"You have exactly twenty-four hours to prove it's a forgery, Maisie, or I am selling this entire company for scraps," Tristan threatened.
Carter gently grabbed my arm and quickly pulled me out of the boardroom before the situation escalated into violence.
We retreated to Carter's secure private office on the floor below to devise a desperate plan.
"We need the original digital file of that document to prove the digital signature was fabricated," Carter explained.
"Where would Tristan keep something that sensitive?" I asked, pacing the thick carpet nervously.
Carter pulled up a high-resolution security feed on his massive monitor, showing Tristan's family mansion.
"Tristan is hosting a massive engagement party tomorrow night to celebrate his new corporate victory."
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I stared at the screen, utterly completely shocked that my ex-fiancé was already throwing another party.
"He got engaged to the city commissioner's daughter tonight just to legally secure that forged document," Carter revealed grimly.
