Odell nodded.
"Eleven days of this because he wouldn't ask my name."
Odell rested his hands on the folder. "And eleven days of records we can now put in front of the people who need to see them."
Malik looked up. "What do we do next?"
"We give the board the real bank letter, not Preston's interpretation. And we insist they decide his conduct separately from whether they want your money."
That afternoon, Malik and Odell returned to Yarrow Tower. Rachel met them in her office rather than the boardroom. The office overlooked downtown Chicago, but the blinds were partly closed and the conference table was covered with reports.
She looked exhausted. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, and several untouched cups of coffee stood beside the printer.
"You said you had something," she told them.
Odell placed a binder on the table. "We have the bank's written confirmation."
Rachel read it. Then she read it again.
"No fraud finding," she said.
"Correct. No government action against Ashworth Capital identified as the basis for the hold. And the bank has cleared the transaction for the closing process."
She looked at Maya, who had joined them by video. "And the source of the alert?"
Maya described the evidence that could properly be shared with the board: the external submission, Charles Morrow's involvement, his communication with Preston, and the findings of independent counsel.
Rachel put down the letter slowly.
"He created the uncertainty," she whispered.
Odell nodded. "Then told your directors the uncertainty was a reason he should remain in control."
Rachel stared toward the window. For years, she had defended Preston to shareholders who questioned his temperament. She had insisted his leadership deserved consideration alongside his mistakes. Even after Malik's detention, part of her had tried to find a solution that preserved stability without fully confronting him.
Now she understood that Preston was willing to manufacture instability if it kept him in power.
"We need an emergency board session," she said. "With all directors, independent counsel, and an accurate record."
Malik leaned forward. "No more meeting where he gets to decide who hears which evidence."
"Agreed."
"And I want the verified footage discussed in full. Not only the part where he learns who I am. The part before that."
Rachel looked at him. "Yes."
"I don't want them to remove him because he embarrassed a rich investor. I want them to understand why what he did was wrong before they knew the money was involved."
Rachel's face tightened with shame. "You're right."
Malik continued. "And the bank issue must be explained accurately. I'm not signing until the board has the real confirmation and the transaction has the approvals it needs."
"That is reasonable," Rachel said.
Odell glanced at the boardroom calendar. "We also need to make sure the procedure for removing a chief executive is valid. The board can hold an open evidentiary portion, but its employment decision may need a confidential vote. I don't want Preston leaving the room claiming the entire action was improper."