"Let me make one thing clear: no one here will believe a word you say!"
"And that case from ten years ago? I destroyed every last shred of evidence a long time ago."
"You're nothing but a broke, powerless nobody from the bottom of the barrel. Me? I'm a celebrated entrepreneur. Crushing you would be easier than stepping on an ant."
I laughed.
I lifted my gaze to meet his. "Destroyed? You sure about that?"
Barret faltered for a second.
"Of course I'm sure!"
His face darkened, as if my questioning was an insult to his intelligence.
I clicked my tongue.
"You can't even handle your current affairs properly. What makes you think you handled things from ten years ago any better?" I said, a half-smile playing on my lips.
Barret's expression froze. His eyes locked onto mine, urgent and searching. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"What was the name of that CFO who launders money for your family again?" I raised an eyebrow. "Something like... Edwin Lambert?"
Barret's pupils contracted sharply.
"What are you talking about? Laundering money? Watch your mouth!"
He took an instinctive step backward, his voice cracking mid-sentence.
Edwin Lambert wasn't just Fox Technologies' CFO. He was Barret's personal bagman.
Every shady ledger Fox Technologies kept hidden, every tax evasion scheme, every set of fraudulent dual contracts—Edwin handled all of it.
"Not only have you evaded over eighty million dollars in taxes, but to push your IPO through, you also colluded with outside firms to cook the books and inflate your profits by a full three hundred million."
"Barret, that snowball just keeps getting bigger. Tell me—do you sleep at night?"
I shrugged, keeping my tone light, almost casual.
But Barret's face drained of color, shade by shade, until it was chalk-white.
"You—how could you possibly know all this? Who the hell are you?!"
His voice trembled. His whole body was shaking.
I let the corner of my mouth curl upward.
A penniless drifter who'd spent ten years abroad, yet knew every illegal detail of his company's operations. He had every reason to panic.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the banquet hall doors.
Moments later, the hotel's general manager came rushing in.
He grabbed the microphone, barely containing his excitement. "Distinguished guests, please, your attention! Let us welcome, with the warmest applause, the leader of the State Commerce Investment Review Board's inspection team!"
Sara's eyes lit up. She immediately nudged Barret, who was still standing there in a daze.
"Barret! Forget about this crazy woman! The team leader is here! Come on, let's go greet him!"
That snapped Barret out of it. He shot me one last venomous glare.
"I'll deal with you later."
He let out a cold snort, then quickly straightened his suit jacket.
The two of them scurried toward the entrance like a pair of eager golden retrievers greeting their master.
Every guest in the banquet hall rose to their feet as well, craning their necks for a glimpse of the person rumored to be the youngest inspection team leader in the board's history.
I stood up too. Slowly.
I'd watched the show long enough. It was time for me to take the stage.
