Chapter 8 - The Vote
"This is an outrage!" Marcus shouted, slamming his palms onto the marble table as the initial shock wore off, replaced by frantic panic. "He’s an impostor! Or worse, he’s unstable! Look at him—he’s hiding something! He hasn't filed his quarterly disclosures, his personal security detail is compromised, and he abandoned his parental duties to chase shadows!"
"Quiet, Marcus," Julian Vance commanded calmly, stepping forward to drop a thick manila folder in front of every board member. "Before you embarrass yourself further with slanderous accusations, I suggest you turn to page four."
Rustling paper filled the silent boardroom.
I watched as the senior board members—wealthy, powerful men and women who usually looked down on everyone else—turned the pages, their eyes widening in sheer disbelief.
"Good God," an elderly female director whispered, looking up at Daniel. "Embezzlement? Shell companies in the Caymans? Marcus... you were funneling operational funds to accounts registered under your own sister's name?"
Marcus spun around, glaring at the board. "It's a forgery! Daniel fabricated those documents while he was in hiding! Don't listen to him—he’s unfit to be a father, let alone CEO! His children are currently unaccounted for with an unregistered civilian!"
Daniel raised one finger.
The heavy boardroom doors swung open. Two private security guards rolled in a secure, high-tech biometric crib unit. Inside, sleeping peacefully beneath soft cream blankets, were the twin babies.
I stepped forward, gently resting my hand on the edge of the unit, watching over them.
"Unaccounted for, Marcus?" Daniel asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy whisper. "My children are right here. Safe. Clean. And legally protected by a trust that your embezzlement scheme can never touch."
Marcus lunged forward, desperation overriding his sanity. "You can't prove—!"
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"Sit down, Marcus," a federal marshal—who had quietly stepped out from the elevator behind Julian—announced, flashing a silver badge as he placed cold steel handcuffs around Marcus’s wrists. "Marcus Sterling, you're under arrest for corporate fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault."
The room erupted into chaos, but Daniel didn't flinch. He sat at the head of the table, his eyes locked on his disgraced cousin as Marcus was dragged out of the boardroom in absolute silence.
