The previous speaker slapped me on the back as she passed me on her way down from the stage. “Good luck,” she said jovially.
“Thanks,” I replied, taking a shaky breath and walking over to the podium. I studied the room as the crowd chatted merrily, waiting for me to get started.Is he even here?I drew my shoulders back, steadying myself as I raised my chin to the audience.
“Good evening. Thank you for having me tonight. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Karson Wells.” Applause and murmurs resounded, my gaze fixed on the crowd until the noisedissipated. “As you probably know, Karlos Wells is my father,” I said calmly.
A sea of heads turned to the right, pulling my attention to the far corner of the room.
So, he is here.
He stood poised, next to the side exit. I bristled at his confident posture and polished appearance.
“As you know,” I continued, “SolStar has gone from strength to strength over the years and become the vastly successful company you all know. Many of you here have invested heavily in it.”
I shifted my attention to the floor for a few seconds before looking up again. “I’m sure you’ve all seen the controversial media coverage SolStar’s been generating lately. But it hasn’t stopped the share price from climbing to the highest level on record.”
I bit down on my lip, suppressing a grimace. The room filled with chimes of laughter as heads bobbed in delight.
Right, here we go.“Unfortunately, SolStar’s long pattern of success is about to end.”
I’m taking you down, you prick.
Confused murmurs grew into discontented shouts that swelled through the room. One woman almost choked on her canapé, while beside her an elderly gentleman’s mouth fell open.
Across the room, a man in a navy business suit and bow tie peered over his glasses at the stage, his disapproving expression frozen into place.
The murmuring grew louder. “If I may continue… please,” I shouted over the noise.
A deathly quiet fell over the room as all eyes fixed on me.
“It gives me no pleasure to report that corruption has reached deep into the heart of the company’s management.”
Gasps rippled through the room as people turned to each other in shock.
“Irrefutable evidence exposing ongoing systemic criminal activity has come to my attention.”
Chaos erupted.
Guests leaped from their chairs, scrambling in pockets and bags for their phones, desperate to dump their shares before the news broke and the price plunged.
The bright lights came on, my eyes shifted to the side exit, expecting to see my father.
Broken.
But I was too late… he was gone.
I flinched as the glass door leading to the pickup area swung back and forth. Through the thick glass, I caught the blur of a figure getting into a metallic silver Porsche. The powerful roar of the engine cut through the room as it sped away.
Cries of fury rang out as panic took hold. “Quiet, please,” I said, raising my voice a notch.
Angry stares locked onto me in search of answers, but a hush fell over the room.
“Evidence confirms my father, Karlos Wells, was at the center of these illegal activities. I’ll hand that evidence, and any other details required, to the authorities for them to conduct a full investigation, with which, of course, I will cooperate fully.”
Relentless shouting erupted from every corner of the room.
“Please, allow me to continue.” Sweat broke out across my brow. “I’m aware many of you have invested in SolStar and want answers.” I loosened my tie and undid the top button on my shirt. “As an investigation unfolds, more information will come to light. However, while it’s underway, I will not be making any further comments about this matter, publicly or privately—”
Propelled by angry shouts, I abandoned the stage and hurried out the door to the pickup area. As promised, Gus was waiting. I dived into the back seat, slamming the door behind me.
