Chapter 7 - The Shadow Board.
In the hallway outside, Victor Hale was sweating through his designer suit.
He had retreated to a secluded alcove, his phone pressed so tightly against his ear that his knuckles were white.
"It's a disaster," Hale hissed into the receiver, checking over his shoulder for reporters.
The voice on the other end was distorted, mechanical, and completely devoid of panic.
"You were paid handsomely to ensure the school's supply chain remained unquestioned, Victor," the voice replied calmly.
"A nine-year-old child just laid a paper trail connecting our subsidiaries directly to the cafeteria."
Hale wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Latham is handling it, but the judge saw the documents," Hale pleaded.
"Then the documents need to lose their credibility, and the witnesses need to disappear," the voice commanded.
"Do whatever is necessary to contain this breach before the recess ends."
The line went dead, leaving Hale staring at his reflection in the darkened screen of his phone.
He knew what the board was capable of doing to people who became liabilities.
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He sent a single, encrypted text message to a number not saved in his contacts.
The message contained only two words: Clean it.
