Chapter 5 - The Confrontation
The boardroom at Blackwood Manufacturing was lined with polished walnut and portraits of men who looked very important and very dead.
Daniel sat at the head of the long table, wearing a bespoke navy suit he had bought with company funds. His father sat to his right, puffing on an unlit cigar, while Patricia sat in the gallery chairs against the wall, looking like a queen mother awaiting her son's coronation.
The minority board members, mostly older men who had been friends with Richard for decades, sat quietly, reading through the packets Daniel’s assistant had distributed.
Except for one man.
Samuel Ortiz, a seventy-two-year-old retired judge and the oldest living director on the board, sat with his hands clasped over a battered leather folder. He looked deeply unimpressed.
"Let’s begin," Daniel said, his voice booming with confidence. "As you all know, we are transitioning into a new era of growth. Unfortunately, to move forward, we must eliminate liabilities. My wife, Claire, who served as our compliance chair, has recently suffered a severe mental breakdown. She has abandoned her duties and made wild, erratic threats against the management."
Richard nodded solemnly, putting on a show of deep sorrow. "It’s a tragedy, truly. My daughter-in-law contributes absolutely nothing to this company. She never has. We kept her on out of respect for her late aunt, but we cannot risk our corporate governance on a woman who is... unstable."
"Nothing?"
The voice didn't come from the room. It came from the high-definition speakers mounted in the corners of the ceiling.
Daniel froze.
He looked up at the massive projection screen at the end of the room. The video feed suddenly clicked on.
I was sitting in Maya’s office, the city skyline behind me. I wasn't wearing the plain clothes they loved to mock. I wore a sharp, tailored black blazer. My hair was pulled back, but the dark, violent bruising on my neck and the split on my lip were glaringly visible in 4K resolution.
"Claire?" Daniel stammered, his face turning a mottled shade of red. "How did you get access to this secure link? This is a private board meeting! Security, cut the feed!"
"The feed stays on, Mr. Blackwood," Samuel Ortiz said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
He opened his leather folder.
"In fact, as the senior non-executive director, I approved her remote attendance. And before we vote on your motion to remove her, I think we should review the actual performance metrics of the person you claim contributes 'nothing'."
Samuel looked down at his papers.
"Three years ago, it was Claire who identified the international pricing error in our steel procurement that saved this firm twelve million dollars. Two years ago, when the Department of Labor threatened a audit, it was Claire who quietly restructured our pension compliance to protect us. And according to our updated registry..."
Samuel looked directly at Daniel, his eyes cold as ice.
"...she owns the largest individual voting block in this room."
Daniel let out a loud, mocking laugh, though his eyes were darting nervously toward his father.
"She told you that? Samuel, you’re losing your mind. My wife signed over her proxy to me last week. I have the digital copies right here on my tablet."
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"You have a training sample, Daniel," I spoke through the microphone, my voice echoing through the boardroom, calm and terrifyingly clear.
"You broke into my locked cabinet, stole a draft document meant for a compliance seminar, and assumed you had stolen my power. You threw the wrong woman out of her own house. Now, let us discuss what you actually stole."
