"FBI! Nobody move!"

The command ripped through the chaos of the ballroom, backed by the heavy, synchronized thud of tactical boots against the marble floor. A dozen federal agents wearing dark windbreakers with yellow lettering swarmed into the room, their expressions grim and professional.

The

The flat-screen television mounted on the wall of Victoria’s temporary executive office was muted, but the chyron scrolling across the bottom of the screen spoke volumes.

*ARTHUR PENDELTON, CEO OF STERLING HOSPITALITY, INDICTED ON MULTIPLE COUNTS OF FEDERAL WIRE FRAUD. ASSETS FROZEN.*

Victoria sa

The Sterling Hospitality boardroom was a masterpiece of corporate architecture. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking, panoramic view of the city skyline, but today, no one was looking at the view. All twenty members of the board of directors had their eyes fixed rigidly on the head of the