Two weeks later, the bright morning sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the Sterling Enterprises executive boardroom on Wall Street.
Dozens of board members in dark suits sat around the long mahogany table, whispering nervously to one another as they waited for the meeting to begin.
Board Member 1: Have you seen the morning news reports? Carter's trial starts next month!
Board Member 2: The forensic auditors found five more illegal offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands! The company almost went into foreclosure because of him!
The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open. Maya walked in, wearing a sharp navy business suit, her hair tied back in a neat, professional style. She carried a leather portfolio under her arm.
Maya: Good morning, gentlemen.
The entire room went completely silent as Maya walked to the head of the long table, taking her seat in the massive leather chair at the end of the room.
Board Member 1: Miss Sterling... we are so glad you could make it. We were just discussing the company restructuring plan.
Maya: There will be no restructuring plan until we fire every executive who signed off on Carter's illegal wire transfers.
She tossed a stack of legal documents onto the center of the mahogany table.
Maya: These are the audit logs from the last three years. Every single one of you signed off on his personal expenses without checking the trust accounts.
Board Member 2: Miss Sterling! We were misled by Carter's legal team! We had no idea he was forging Arthur's signatures!
Maya: Ignorance is not an excuse when millions of dollars belonging to my daughter were stolen right under your noses.
Sarah Vance, Maya's attorney, stepped forward and opened her briefcase, handing out formal notice letters to four senior directors sitting at the table.
Sarah Vance: You four are being removed from the board of directors effective immediately, per the majority voting rights held by the Sterling Family Trust.
Director Thomas: You can't just throw us out! We've been with this firm for twenty years!
Maya: You spent twenty years watching my father build this company, and then you let a thief tear it down in four years. You have ten minutes to clear your offices.
Director Thomas looked around at the other board members, searching for help, but every man stared down at the table, refusing to make eye contact with him.
Director Thomas: This is a mistake, Maya. You don't know how to run a corporation of this size!
Maya: I managed to track down my stolen child and dismantle Carter's entire network in four weeks while working three catering jobs, Mr. Thomas. Running this company will be easy.
The four directors stood up slowly, picking up their leather folders, and walked out through the double glass doors in complete defeat.
Maya looked around the remaining board members, her voice calm, clear, and commanding.
Maya: Now that the trash has been cleared out, let's get back to work restoring my father's legacy.