Chapter 10: The Emergency Boardroom
The polished mahogany table in the top-floor boardroom of Quantum Dynamics reflected the harsh fluorescent lights above. Twelve men and women in expensive designer suits sat in absolute silence, staring at the large wall-mounted monitor at the front of the room. On the screen, Marcus’s encrypted live stream played on a continuous loop, replaying Richard’s arrest outside the boathouse over and over again.
The heavy double doors of the boardroom swung open with a sharp click.
Chloe walked in first, her head held high, wearing her mother’s classic black wool coat over the grey sweater. Her scraped hands were bare, and her red hair was pulled back into a tight, severe ponytail. Behind her walked Marcus, carrying a heavy metal briefcase containing the original hard drives and the journal.
Arthur Sterling, the oldest member of the board and the company’s chief financial officer, cleared his throat nervously, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Chloe," Arthur began, his voice trembling slightly. "We were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic misunderstanding involving Richard and... well, under the circumstances, an emergency quorum has been called to stabilize the stock prices."
"Stabilize the stock prices?" Chloe interrupted, her voice cutting through the silent room like a razor. She walked directly to the head of the table—the seat her mother had occupied for twenty years—and placed her palms flat on the wood. "You aren't here to stabilize the company, Arthur. You're here to cover your tracks."
A collective murmur rippled through the board members. Several people shifted uncomfortably in their high-backed leather chairs.
"Miss Vance, that is an inflammatory accusation," a sharp-featured woman named Beatrice snapped, crossing her arms defensively. "We are the senior executives of this firm. We built this enterprise alongside your mother."
"You built it on stolen patents and offshore laundering," Marcus interjected, slamming the metal briefcase onto the table. He popped the latches with a loud snap and began tossing thick stacks of printed bank statements across the mahogany surface. "Every single person in this room authorized the transfer of intellectual property to shell companies controlled by Richard and Vivian. We have the wire receipts, the signatures, and the audio logs."
Arthur Sterling stared down at the document nearest to him, his hands beginning to shake uncontrollably as he read the embossed letterhead from the Cayman Islands bank.
"This... this is forgery," Arthur stammered, though his voice lacked any genuine conviction.
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"Is it?" Chloe asked softly, stepping closer to him until he was forced to meet her intense gaze. "Because my mother’s final entry in her personal journal details every single vote this board cast to poison her medical trials and take over the estate."
Arthur’s face turned the color of ash. He slowly sank back into his chair, whispering words that froze everyone in the room. "She knew. She found out on Monday, and she threatened to send us all to federal prison."
