Chapter 10 - Unmasking the Serpent
Old man Henderson dropped his pen, staring wide-eyed at Clara. ""Clara...? But... you died on the northern highway six years ago!""
""She didn't die,"" Julian declared, projecting his voice across the stunned assembly. He slammed Dr. Cole’s recovered flash drive onto the central conference console.
The room’s eighty-inch monitors instantly flickered to life. The video of Victoria in the clandestine clinic played in high-definition audio and video: Victoria calmly ordering the destruction of Clara’s identity, followed by the genetic sequencing document confirming a direct maternal match with Leo.
The board members erupted into furious murmurs. Several stood up, retreating from Victoria as if she carried a lethal contagion.
""Fake! It's an AI deepfake!"" Victoria screamed, her poise disintegrating into feral desperation. ""She is a hired look-alike surgically altered by Julian’s rivals! Henderson, sign the charter! Sign it now!""
""Shut up, Victoria,"" Clara said, stepping forward. Her voice was steady, regal, and laced with venom. ""You always wanted my life. You wanted Julian, you wanted our father's shipping trust, you wanted Leo. But you could never replicate one thing.""
Clara turned to the elderly board members. ""Arthur Henderson, when you had your bypass surgery seven years ago, I visited you in the clinic and brought you white lilies because you were allergic to roses. Thomas Wright, I personally signed the educational fund for your daughter when your family faced bankruptcy. Look at my eyes and tell me I am a deepfake.""
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Henderson rose from his seat, tears welling behind his glasses. ""It’s her. My God, it's Clara.""
Victoria backed toward the private executive balcony, realizing the trap had snapped shut. ""You think you’ve won?"" she hissed, pulling a small remote detonator from her blazer pocket. ""If I go down, Vance Towers burns with me.""
