Chapter 11 - The Ticking Clock to Noon
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"You forged my signature on a corporate proxy?" I asked, keeping my tone quiet, inviting him to brag.
"I did what was necessary to protect our future," Mark declared proudly. "Your board members are old men who want stability. When I tell them you’ve suffered catastrophic, permanent brain and spinal trauma from birth complications, they will confirm me as acting CEO without asking a single question."
He walked closer, looking down at Lily sleeping peacefully in her bassinet.
"By noon, I control the board," Mark whispered, his eyes gleaming with unvarnished greed. "By tonight, Vanessa and I will be sleeping in our lake house."
"That lake house belongs to my family trust, Mark," I reminded him. "It was bought by my father twenty years ago."
"Everything you own is about to become mine, Claire," he chuckled, leaning down until his lips almost touched my forehead. "You're going to spend the next ten years in a private care facility while I run Whitmore Development into a public offering."
"Which house are you taking first?" I asked softly.
"All of them," he sneered. "The lake house, the city penthouse, and the estate in the valley. I might even let my mother live in your penthouse just to spite you."
He checked his gold watch—a watch I had bought him for his thirty-fifth birthday.
"It's eleven-thirty," Mark said, straightening his suit jacket. "The board meeting is in thirty minutes at the downtown headquarters. I wouldn't want to be late for my coronation."
May you like
He turned on his heel and strode out of the room, completely unaware that every word he had just uttered had been transmitted directly to a secure recording unit in Rachel’s vehicle parked downstairs.
"Enjoy your drive downtown, Mark," I whispered to the empty room. "It's the last one you'll ever take in a company car."
