Chapter 6 - The Empty Chair
The mahogany doors of the Bennett Technologies boardroom were heavy.
For fifteen years, Claire had only ever waited outside them.
Today, Richard Donovan pushed them open for her.
The long glass table was surrounded by twelve men in expensive suits. These were the executives who had looked the other way. The men who had laughed at Ethan’s jokes, signed off on his hidden offshore accounts, and pretended they didn't see the bruises on her wrists at company galas.
The room fell into a dead, suffocating silence as she walked in.
She didn't wear a power suit. She wore a simple, elegant navy dress. Her scars were visible.
Claire walked directly to the head of the table.
Ethan’s chair.
She didn't sit in it. Instead, she placed her hands on the leather backrest, looking at the pale, nervous faces of the board.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Claire said, her voice steady and clear.
"Effective immediately, this company will undergo a comprehensive forensic audit. Anyone found complicit in Mr. Bennett’s financial fraud will be terminated by the end of the day."
One of the senior vice presidents, a man named Sterling, cleared his throat aggressively.
"Mrs. Bennett, with all due respect, you have no experience running a tech conglomerate. You are disrupting—"
"I am surviving, Mr. Sterling," Claire interrupted softly. "Something you are about to find very difficult to do in this industry."
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She slid a stack of termination papers onto the glass table.
"You can sign these now, or my lawyers can speak to the federal investigators about your Cayman accounts. The choice is yours."
