On the top floor of the Grand Plaza Hotel, the main boardroom was cold and quiet.
Brandon sat at the end of a long mahogany table, his head buried in his hands as two security officers stood by the door.
The heavy double doors opened, and Victoria walked inside, followed by Arthur Vance.
Brandon immediately sat up, his face pale and eyes bloodshot.
Brandon: Ms. Sterling! Please, give me five minutes to explain everything!
Victoria: Sit down, Brandon. You're not in a position to negotiate.
Arthur placed the thick blue binder onto the table, sliding it directly in front of Brandon.
Arthur: Brandon, this is a full record of every illegal wire transfer made from the Grand Plaza resort fund over the past ninety days.
Brandon looked at the numbers on the paper, his hands shaking uncontrollable.
Brandon: I... I was going to put all the money back! I swear it!
Victoria: With what money, Brandon? Your salary is two hundred thousand dollars a year. You stole double that in three months.
Brandon: Chloe wanted a house in the hills! She wanted a high-society lifestyle or she said she would leave me!
Victoria: So you decided to steal from my estate to buy a woman's affection?
Brandon: I loved her! I was desperate!
Victoria: Desperation is not an excuse for felony theft.
Arthur leaned forward, placing a single pen next to the folder.
Arthur: You have two options right now, Brandon. Option one: you sign this full confession and transfer all remaining personal assets—including your vehicle and savings—back to the hotel foundation to offset the losses.
Brandon: And option two?
Victoria: Option two is we hand these exact files to the police squad standing outside in the lobby right now, and you spend the next ten to fifteen years in a federal prison.
Brandon stared at the pen on the polished wood table.
Brandon: If I sign... will you drop the criminal charges?
Victoria: I will agree not to press for maximum prison time. But you will never work in hotel management, commercial real estate, or corporate finance ever again.
Brandon: My entire career... gone...
Victoria: You destroyed your career the moment you stole the first dollar. Sign the paper, Brandon.
With tears streaming down his face, Brandon picked up the pen and wrote his signature at the bottom of the legal document.
Arthur immediately pulled the paper back and placed it into his leather briefcase.
Arthur: The court order will be filed within the hour. You have twenty minutes to vacate the building.
Victoria turned toward the window, looking out over the city skyline below.
Victoria: Escort him out through the back service exit. I don't want him embarrassing this company in the front lobby again.
Head Guard: Yes, Ms. Sterling. Move it, Brandon.
Brandon stood up slowly, his head hung low in complete defeat, as the guards led him away from the boardroom.