Chapter 5: The Ledger of Sins
The room temperature seemed to plunge below freezing. Julian’s smirk wavered, his fingers curling into tight fists under the desk.
"You're blowing smoke," Julian scoffed. "Dr. Evans is Arthur's personal physician. His medical testimony is sealed."
"It was sealed," Elena corrected, pulling out a chair at the opposite end of the long table and sitting down with sovereign grace. "Until the Department of Justice unsealed his bank accounts. It turns out, when faced with fifteen years for premeditated assault and healthcare fraud, doctors talk remarkably fast."
The directors around the table exchanged panicked glances. Harold Vance sat up straighter, a glimmer of hope returning to his eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded a director allied with Julian.
"The meaning is simple," Elena stated, locking eyes with Julian. "Every document Julian and Victoria prepared for this takeover is tainted by criminal conspiracy. Every contract signed under Arthur's forged proxy is void under New York corporate law."
Julian leaned over the table, his composure entirely cracking. "You have no proof of forgery. Victoria was his lawful wife!"
"And I am his legal heir and the designated trustee of the Sterling Family Trust," Elena fired back, her voice echoing with thunderous authority. "Which owns fifty-one percent of the voting stock. You don't have the numbers to call a vote, Julian. You never did."
Julian stood up abruptly, knocking his leather chair backward against the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan.
"This isn't over, Elena," Julian hissed through gritted teeth. "Your father is a dying vegetable in a hospital bed. When he flatlines, your precious trust dissolves into probate court. You have forty-eight hours."
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"Then you better start packing your office, stepbrother," Elena replied without blinking. "Because forty-eight hours is twice as much time as I need to destroy you."
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