Chapter 16 - The Art of War
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The morning arrived with gray, overcast skies—fitting weather for an execution.
I woke Stella early, dressing her warmly and loading her into the car. I didn't say goodbye to Richard. I simply left a note on the kitchen counter: Took Stella to my mother’s for the day. Have a good meeting.
I drove to my mother’s house in Westchester, ensuring Stella was safe, entertained, and entirely insulated from the fallout. I kissed her goodbye, told her I loved her, and drove back into the city, heading straight for the Horizon Prime corporate tower.
By 1:00 PM, I was sitting in a private conference room adjacent to the main boardroom on the fiftieth floor. Marcus Thorne, my divorce attorney, sat beside me, impeccably dressed and radiating shark-like confidence.
“Arthur has convened the emergency board meeting,” Thorne murmured, checking his Rolex. “Richard is walking into the room completely blind. He thinks it’s a standard quarterly review.”
“Are the offshore documents verified?” I asked, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles in my tailored navy skirt.
“Verified, authenticated, and distributed in sealed envelopes to every board member’s chair,” Thorne smiled. “The digital trail proves Richard initiated the eight million dollar transfer to a shell company in Geneva. Embezzlement, clear as day.”
I nodded, my heart beating with a steady, lethal rhythm.
Through the frosted glass wall of the conference room, I watched the heavy hitters of Horizon Prime arrive. The board members, wealthy, conservative, and fiercely protective of their investments, filed into the boardroom.
Finally, the private elevator doors opened.
Richard stepped out, flanked by two junior executives, looking arrogant, powerful, and entirely in control. He walked into the boardroom, oblivious to the fact that his father, Arthur Vance, was sitting at the head of the table in the chairman’s seat—a seat Richard had stolen from him three years ago.
I stood up, adjusting my blazer.
May you like
“It’s time, Mr. Thorne,” I said softly.
We walked out of the private room and pushed the heavy glass doors of the boardroom open.
