Chapter 5: The Enemy Inside the Boardroom
The first thing Raymond Holloway did after the fire was call a press conference.
Not to apologize.
Not to explain.
To control the story.
That was how powerful people survived.
They didn’t stop disasters.
They renamed them.
By sunrise, every news channel in Atlanta was talking about the storage facility fire. Raymond stood in front of cameras wearing a perfectly tailored suit, looking like a man grieving a tragedy instead of a man who may have caused one.
“My family has always valued honesty and integrity,” he said.
I almost laughed when I saw the clip playing on Malik’s office television.
Honesty.
Integrity.
Two words that sounded different when spoken by someone who spent years burying the truth.
Malik stood beside me, watching silently.
“You’re still going to that meeting?”” I asked.
He nodded.
“The board meeting is today.””
“The same meeting where your uncle plans to remove you?””
“Yes.””
“And you’re walking in there knowing he might have everyone against you?””
Malik looked at the black ledger sitting on his desk.
“No.””
I frowned.
“No?””
“I’m walking in there knowing he already does.””
That was the first time I saw something change in him.
The old Malik Holloway—the man who had grown up surrounded by money, influence, and protection—was gone.
In his place was someone who understood that sometimes the only way to survive was to stop protecting yourself.
The boardroom was exactly what I expected.
Cold.
Beautiful.
Expensive.
A room designed to make ordinary people feel like they didn’t belong.
I sat in the back with Jordan and watched powerful executives take their seats.
Nobody looked at us.
Nobody wanted to acknowledge the people connected to the scandal.
Until Raymond walked in.
He smiled.
That was the part that bothered me most.
Not his confidence.
Not his arrogance.
The smile.
Because it told me he believed he had already won.
“Malik,” Raymond said.
“I’m surprised you came.””
Malik didn’t respond.
Raymond looked toward me.
“And who is this?””
“You know who I am,” I said.
His expression barely moved.
“Daniel Brooks’ daughter.””
The way he said my father’s name made my stomach tighten.
Not with fear.
With anger.
The room became silent.
Raymond turned back to the board.
“I believe today’s meeting should focus on the future of this company.””
“No,” Malik said.
Everyone looked at him.
“Today’s meeting should focus on the past.””
Raymond’s smile disappeared.
Malik placed a folder on the table.
Inside were copies of the ledger pages.
“I’m submitting evidence of financial fraud, illegal transactions, and the destruction of company records.””
A board member picked up the papers.
“What is this?””
“The truth.””
Raymond laughed.
“You’re seriously going to accuse your own family based on documents found during a suspicious fire?””
Malik didn’t blink.
“No.””
He looked at him.
“I’m accusing my own family because I finally stopped ignoring what was right in front of me.””
The room shifted.
People started whispering.
Raymond looked around.
He was losing control.
And men like Raymond Holloway were most dangerous when they realized they were losing.
“You think you’re a hero now?”” Raymond said.
Malik stayed quiet.
“You benefited from everything. Every dollar. Every property.
Every opportunity. Don’t pretend you’re different.””
That sentence landed.
Because it was true.
Malik had not committed every crime his family committed.
But he had benefited from the system.
And I saw the guilt hit him.
Raymond saw it too.
“That’s right,” Raymond continued.
“Tell them how many years you looked away.””
The room went silent.
Malik stood there.
Then he did something nobody expected.
“I did.””
His voice was steady.
“I looked away.””
I watched every person in the room react.
“I ignored questions because I was comfortable. I accepted success without asking where it came from. I told myself I didn’t know because knowing would have required me to act.””
He looked at the board.
“That ends today.””
For the first time, Raymond looked uncertain.
Malik opened another folder.
“And there’s more.””
I looked at him.
More?
He hadn’t told me.
“Financial records show I approved several transactions connected to companies later flagged for illegal activity.””
My eyes widened.
“You?””
He nodded.
“I didn’t know what they were at the time.””
Raymond smiled slightly.
“There it is.””
But Malik continued.
“But responsibility doesn’t disappear because ignorance makes you uncomfortable.””
The room went completely still.
“I will cooperate with any investigation. I will provide every document. Every account. Every communication.””
I realized then what he was doing.
He wasn’t fighting to keep his position.
He was giving it away.
Raymond had expected Malik to protect the Holloway name.
Instead, Malik was destroying the shield around it.
The meeting ended with investigators being contacted.
For the first time in thirteen years, Raymond Holloway looked like a man who could be touched.
But when we left the building, Malik’s phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed.
“What happened?””
I watched him listen.
Then his hand tightened around the phone.
“Are you sure?””
He hung up.
“What?””
He looked at me.
“The ledger pages we brought in?””
“Yes?””
“They’re gone.””
My blood ran cold.
“How?””
Malik stared back at the building.
“Someone inside the investigation took them.””
And suddenly we understood.
Raymond wasn’t fighting alone.
May you like
The enemy wasn’t just outside the family.
It was already inside.
