Chapter 12 - The Fall of an Empress
The silence in the boardroom was absolute, so profound that the gentle hum of the building’s air filtration sounded like a roaring turbine.
Arthur Campbell leaped to his feet, staring at the child in Elena’s arms. ""The baby... he's alive! Conan, what in heaven's name is happening here?""
""Sit down, Arthur,"" Victoria snarled, her voice losing every trace of its polished elegance, dropping into a guttural hiss. She glared at the federal marshals with contempt. ""You have no jurisdiction to interrupt a private corporate board meeting! Security! Remove these trespassers immediately!""
No security guards moved. The two Vance guards posted at the door stood motionless, their heads bowed, having already seen the federal badges displayed in the lobby.
Sarah Mercer stepped forward, opening her briefcase and sliding a stack of stamped court documents across the marble table directly into the center of the directors' sightlines.
""At 8:42 AM today, the Federal Maritime Probate Court issued an emergency temporary restraining order,"" Sarah declared with ringing clarity. ""Victoria Vance has been formally stripped of all executive authority, legal guardianship, and access to any Vance estate accounts.""
""On what grounds?!"" Victoria’s attorney sputtered, rising from his chair with flushed cheeks. ""This is an unconstitutional ambush!""
""On the grounds of aggravated first-degree murder, attempted child murder, conspiracy to commit fraud, and corporate espionage,"" Sarah replied smoothly.
She turned to a marshal, who tapped an auxiliary cable into the boardroom’s massive presentation screen on the wall. Within seconds, the video from Julian’s bedroom illuminated the room in high definition.
The board members watched in horrified silence as Officer Miller appeared on screen, calmly poisoning their late founder. Then came Miller’s taped confession from an hour ago, his voice echoing through the speakers:
'Mrs. Vance paid me two million dollars into a Caymans account to ensure Julian didn't live past Wednesday. She told me the will had been rewritten, and she needed the old man dead before Sarah Mercer could file it.'
Victoria sank back into her high-backed leather chair, her hands trembling so violently that the fountain pen rolled across the mahogany and dropped to the carpet with a dull thud.
""Lies,"" she whispered, her eyes darting like a trapped rat between the silent directors. ""Julian was senile. He lost his mind after Gabriel's death. Miller is fabricating everything to save his own skin!""
Conan walked slowly around the table until he stood directly in front of her. He leaned down, placing both hands flat on the desk, his face inches from hers.
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""You told Miller not to bring Leo back alive,"" Conan whispered, every word sharp enough to draw blood. ""You killed my brother. You killed Julian. But you couldn't kill this child. And now, you will spend the rest of your miserable life behind concrete walls, watching him inherit everything you bled to steal.""
A federal agent stepped forward, pulling a pair of stainless steel handcuffs from his belt. ""Victoria Vance, you are under arrest.""
