Every name on the list was someone Sanderson knew well, more than well.


    Over the years, Sanderson had coborated with them to siphon off a hefty fortune from The Strand Group, and they all had fattened their wallets through thepany''s profits.


    "That''s all of them," Jacob finished reading the names. "These individuals are suspected of embezzlement, as well as epting bribes and kickbacks. The Financial Crimes Unit is already on the case." Sanderson''s eyes flickered sharply.


    "And the amount involved is not insignificant. Let''s take a guess, how much money do you think these fat cats have skimmed from The Strand Group?" Jacob''s demeanor returned to his usual amiable smile as he nced around the boardroom at the shareholders.


    Silence fell over the room. Matthew spoke up, "With so many people, it can''t be a small figure. What are we talking about, over a hundred million?"d2


    Jacob raised his hand, his long fingers casually waving as the corners of his mouth turned down. "Based on the evidence I have, it''s a whopping 2.3 billion."


    Two decades had passed, and these people had been pilfered bit by bit, amassing to an eye-watering sum of 2.3 billion.


    "What? 2.3 billion?!" The room erupted in chaos, especially among the shareholders who felt less personally involved. After all, it was their money at stake too, their shares.


    "And that''s just what I have evidence for. Given more time, the Financial Crimes Unit will surely uncover more. You know, the Financial Crimes Unit at B City is no joke."


    Jacob leaned back in his chair, continuing, "Additionally, over the next month, I''ll be making sweeping changes to The Strand Group''s personnel, from top to bottom. Any role could see a shift. For this month, there will be no performance reviews for any department."


    The room buzzed with reactions once more.


    Jacob''s gaze turned to Sanderson, whose face had turned ashen.


    "Mr. Sanderson, The Strand Group has been gued with corruption for too long. There''s a lot of rot to cut out, and the first step is to burn it away- torch it all to start anew."


    "Jacob, I never would''ve guessed you had it in you, with that carefree facade you put on for the elderlies. If I''d known you were this shrewd, I wouldn''t have stepped in," Sanderson said, his smile vanishing, "And those shareholders don''t need to be so scared anymore."


    "I never wanted to take things this far, but some people... they wanted to force my hand, to drive my parents to ruin, to sink The Strand Group''s century-old ship," Jacob said, his voice measured and intense as he stared at Sanderson. "I wanted a life of leisure, to travel the world. They forced me back, and now I''m full of resentment and anger. I need an outlet, and The Strand Group is the perfect focus." The Strand Group''s shareholder meeting was a triumph for Jacob.


    His assistant was ready to release the new personnel announcements, but Jacob stopped him.


    The room cleared out, leaving only Rosalynn and her entourage.


    "Rosalynn, take this back." Jacob pushed the gift she had brought back towards her. "Don''t worry, I''m stronger than you all think. I can clean up this mess... and if I can''t, it''s not worth you burning money over."


    "My grandma gave it to you, return it to her yourself. I don''t want to get an earful when I get back home," Rosalynn refused, not taking the gift back. "If I had known you had a contingency n, I wouldn''t have bothereding."


    Jacob''s eyes crinkled as he smiled. "You had toe. I needed someone to hold the fort for me."


    Checking the time, he added, "Time to go. I''m treating Ms. Tesdal to a feast!"? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Rosalynn stood up.


    Jacob''s gaze moved past her to a new face. "And who might thisdy be?"


    "My new secretary," Rosalynn replied. With no further ado, she gestured towards the door.


    Jacob immediately led the way to the exit.