Chapter 7 - THE BOARDROOM TRAP
The board meeting began at ten the following morning.
Julian insisted on attending in person. His doctor objected, but Julian
refused to let the board make decisions about his future while he was
absent.
Claire waited outside the conference room with Malcolm Price, the family
attorney. She had been asked to give a statement if needed.
Inside, eleven directors sat around a long walnut table. Victoria
occupied the chair at the far end. Gabriel stood beside the door.
The first item on the agenda was Julian’s medical capacity.
Victoria spoke carefully.
“My brother has endured a terrible injury. None of us questions his
courage. But the company cannot be governed by emotion. We need to
consider whether he can continue exercising the responsibilities of
chief executive.”
Julian rolled forward.
“I am here. Ask me.”
One director cleared his throat.
“Julian, the proposed medical proxy would allow Victoria to manage the
trust temporarily while you undergo an independent assessment.”
“An assessment arranged by whom?”
“By the family office.”
“Which Victoria controls.”
Victoria folded her hands.
“This is not personal.”
“It became personal when someone tampered with my wheelchair.”
A murmur moved around the table.
Gabriel stepped forward.
“There is no evidence of tampering.”
Julian nodded toward the screen.
“Then let’s look at the footage.”
Malcolm connected the video.
The board watched Gabriel crouch beside the wheelchair. They watched him
handle the brake housing. They watched Victoria wait near the doors.
When the clip ended, nobody spoke.
Victoria recovered first.
“Gabriel was conducting a safety check. This footage has no context.”
Julian placed the blue ledger on the table.
“This is the context. Andrew Bennett documented irregularities in my
vehicle, my chair, and the estate’s security system. Two days before the
crash that killed him, he reported that the secondary brake line had
been altered.”
One director leaned forward.
“Why wasn’t this presented during the original investigation?”
“Because the records disappeared.”
Julian played the audio recording.
Victoria’s voice filled the room.
“I don’t want him dead. I want him out of the way.”
Then Gabriel’s answer.
“Those are becoming the same thing.”
When the recording ended, Victoria looked directly at Julian.
“You have no idea what this company has cost me.”
“I know what it cost Andrew.”
“You think you were the only one who suffered?”
Julian’s expression tightened.
“You were my sister.”
“And you were our father’s favorite. You inherited the company, the
estate, the voting rights, the attention. I spent my life cleaning up
after you.”
“So you tried to have me declared incompetent?”
“I tried to protect the family.”
“By sabotaging my chair?”
Victoria did not answer.
Gabriel suddenly moved toward the laptop.
The officer at the door blocked him.
“Step away.”
“This is a private board meeting,” Gabriel snapped.
“Not anymore,” Malcolm said. “The evidence has been provided to law
enforcement.”
Victoria rose.
“You cannot do this to me.”
Julian looked at her.
“I didn’t do this. You did.”
Two investigators entered the room and asked Gabriel to accompany them.
They also requested that Victoria remain available for questioning.
As Gabriel passed Claire, he leaned close enough for her to hear.
“Your brother should have stayed out of it.”
Claire felt cold spread through her.
Julian heard him.
“Repeat that.”
Gabriel said nothing.
The investigators led him away.
The board postponed the medical proxy vote and suspended Victoria’s
authority over the family trust pending an independent review.
But as the meeting ended, Claire noticed something missing.
The blue ledger was still on the table.
The memory card was gone.
May you like
Someone had taken it during the confusion.
And the only person who had been close enough was one of the directors.
