Chapter 491
Chapter 491:
She gestured to her briefcase, which Camille had brought from the office. “In the side pocket, there’s a key. Take it.”
Camille found the small silver key, ornate and old-fashioned, similar to the one she had found in Alexander’s office.
“That key opens a private safe in my office. Behind the bookshelf, there’s a hidden panel. The safe contains documents I’ve kept about every major legal challenge Kane Industries has faced, including the Meridian Technologies case.”
Stefan leaned forward. “Why keep those records separately?”
“Because some truths are too dangerous to leave in regular files. Some stories are more complicated than the public versions.” Victoria’s eyes grew distant. “The Meridian Technologies factory explosion wasn’t a simple case of corporate negligence. It was a tragedy caused by multiple failures—multiple people making choices that cost seventeen lives.”
Hannah pulled out her laptop. “Should I take notes?”
“Take everything. Record everything. Because after today, I never want to speak about this again.”
Camille felt her chest tighten. “What really happened, Victoria?”
Victoria closed her eyes, gathering strength. “Fifteen years ago, Kane Industries and Meridian Technologies were competing for a major industrial contract. The client wanted the cheapest bid, the fastest installation, and the lowest ongoing maintenance costs. Both our companies submitted proposals.”
“Alexander said you underbid Meridian to steal the contract,” Stefan said carefully.
“We did underbid them. But not by cutting safety measures. We underbid them by accepting lower profit margins.” Victoria’s voice grew stronger. “Richard Pierce chose a different strategy. He cut costs by using substandard materials and rushing safety inspections.”
“The factory explosion…” Hannah said quietly.
“…Happened six months after installation. Seventeen people died when a pressure valve failed during routine maintenance.” Victoria’s voice cracked slightly. “The valve was supposed to be rated for high-pressure industrial use. Instead, Richard Pierce had ordered residential-grade equipment to save money.”
Camille felt sick. “Alexander doesn’t know this?”
𝗥𝖊𝖆𝗱 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝖔𝗇𝖑𝗒 𝗮𝘁 𝗀ⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒ⅽ𝗈𝗺
“Alexander has been shown selected pieces of a larger story. Someone gave him Richard Pierce’s personal journal, which focused on his anger and blame toward me. But they didn’t show him the engineering reports that proved the faulty equipment was Meridian’s responsibility.”
“Why would Richard Pierce blame you if his company was at fault?” Stefan asked.
Victoria’s expression became pained. “Because I knew about the substandard materials before the explosion happened.”
The room fell silent except for the beeping of the medical machines.
“You knew?” Camille’s voice was barely audible.
“Two weeks before the explosion, one of Meridian’s engineers contacted me. He was concerned about the equipment Richard Pierce was ordering for the installation. He thought Kane Industries should know that our competitor was cutting dangerous corners.”
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