Chapter 16 - The Boardroom Gathering
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At exactly ten o'clock the next morning, the glass doors of Halcyon’s executive boardroom swung open. Adrian marched into the room, still wearing the wrinkled, rain-stained tuxedo from the disastrous wedding. He looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot from a sleepless night of frantic phone calls to bankers who refused to answer.
Celeste trailed closely behind him, clutching her designer handbag like a shield, her face pale and drawn. And, to my mild surprise, Sienna Hart followed them. They had clearly dragged his mistress along, perhaps believing that projecting a united front of wealthy elites could somehow intimidate the board into submission. They still arrogantly believed that intimidation could restore what their fraud had permanently lost.
I sat at the very head of the massive, polished granite table. I wore a sharp, tailored black suit. I had not bothered to apply makeup to my bruised cheek; the dark purple and yellow welt stood out starkly against my pale skin. Let them see exactly what he had done.
Adrian stopped dead in his tracks. He expected to find me alone, perhaps with a single lawyer, ready to negotiate a quiet settlement to save face. Instead, the room was packed. The entire board of directors sat around the table. Representatives from his three major lending banks were present. Our outside financial auditors had their laptops open.
And standing silently along the far glass wall were two uniformed detectives from the financial crimes division.
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"What is this?" Adrian demanded, his voice cracking. "Elena, tell them to leave. This is a private family matter."
Detective Ramos, a tall, imposing man with a stern expression, took a step forward, his badge gleaming in the harsh boardroom lighting. "Assault and multi-million dollar financial fraud are not family matters, Mr. Vale."
