My husband threw divorce papers into my face while I cradled our newborn daughter. “I need a son, not a useless girl,” he sneered. His mother nodded. “We need a grandson. Someone else has already done what you couldn’t.” Months later, at his wedding to the mistress supposedly carrying his baby boy, I walked in holding my daughter and one sealed envelope. When I revealed what was inside, the groom went pale—and revenge had only just begun. - True Stories / Chapter 14 / 40

Chapter 14 - The Midnight Resolution

Three days before the wedding, the board of directors for Vale Medical Systems convened for an emergency, midnight session.

Grant was not invited.

I stood at the head of the long, polished mahogany table in the executive boardroom. The ten men and women who truly ran the company—the scientists, the investors, the veterans who had worked alongside my father—sat in stunned, horrifying silence as I laid out the evidence.

I didn't bring up the paternity issue; that was personal. I strictly presented the financial ruin Grant was bringing upon their life’s work.

I showed them the forged seven-million-dollar loan. I showed them the embezzlement of corporate funds to pay for Celeste’s luxury lifestyle. I showed them the offshore accounts where Grant was siphoning their research and development money.

“He has compromised the integrity of this company,” I stated clearly, projecting the forged signature onto the large screen. “He has committed federal fraud using our flagship patent as collateral. If the SEC finds this before we act, we will all go down with him.”

The chairman of the board, an old friend of my father’s, looked physically sick. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

“A motion is on the floor,” the chairman announced, his voice trembling with anger. “To immediately and permanently revoke Grant Vale’s title as Chief Executive Officer, and to freeze all corporate accounts associated with his name, pending a full federal investigation.”

The vote was unanimous.

“When do we serve him the termination papers?” the corporate counsel asked.