Chapter 10 - The Full Twelve Seconds
Victoria had one move left.
The pool video.
She demanded the board remove me for violence even if Lily controlled the shares.
Fair.
Ownership should not excuse conduct.
So I let the full video play.
Twelve seconds.
Victoria’s heel crushing Lily’s birthday cake.
Lily on her knees.
“Clean this trash up.”
Me entering.
Victoria leaning toward Lily.
My hand intercepting her shoulder.
Her momentum carrying backward.
The pool.
Then me immediately crouching beside Lily.
“You’re safe.”
The room remained silent.
Then Ruth played another angle.
Audio before I arrived.
Victoria speaking to Marcus through an earpiece.
“She still won’t sign.”
Marcus:
“Break her before Arthur gets back.”
Victoria:
“He won’t be back until midnight.”
Marcus:
“Then we have time.”
Lily flinched hearing it.
I reached for her hand.
She took mine.
The board chairman looked at Victoria.
“You orchestrated the confrontation.”
Victoria’s face hardened.
“I was protecting the company.”
“By terrorizing an eighteen-year-old?”
“She is not a child.”
Lily spoke.
“Exactly.”
Then she stood.
“My first act as controlling shareholder is not firing my father.”
Victoria blinked.
Lily continued.
“Because owning shares doesn’t make me judge and jury.”
She looked at the independent directors.
“I want a formal investigation.”
“Independent counsel.”
“Full forensic audit.”
“Preservation of every account.”
“No family member controls it.”
I stared at her.
That was power.
Not the fifty-five percent.
Restraint.
Marcus looked toward the door.
Security was already there.
He surrendered his company devices.
Victoria refused.
Then Ruth spoke:
“Mrs. Sterling, law enforcement has a warrant concerning Claire Vale’s medical records.”
For the first time, Victoria lost color.
Claire’s name changed everything.
Marcus turned toward her.
“You said she was dead.”
Victoria whispered:
“Shut up.”
The room froze.
Marcus realized what he had admitted.
Ruth did too.
So did the detectives entering through the glass doors.
Victoria looked at me.
Then at Lily.
“You think Claire was innocent?”
Lily stiffened.
Victoria laughed once.
Cold.
“She was hiding something from both of you before the crash.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
Victoria leaned forward.
“Ask Claire who Lily’s biological father really is.”
The room went completely silent.
May you like
Midway through our victory, Victoria dropped a bomb designed to destroy the only thing she thought still held us together.
Blood.
