Chapter 14 - THE FALL OF THE BOARD
At 7:00 AM the following morning, the sun rose over a city in complete corporate chaos.
Outside the glass high-rise headquarters of Thorne Global Logistics on 5th Avenue, dozens of news vans and media trucks clogged the streets. Emergency stock trading halts flashed across television screens as Thorne Global shares plummeted thirty percent in pre-market trading.
Inside the grand penthouse boardroom on the 40th floor, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Victor Thorne sat at the head of the long mahogany table, flanked by three high-powered corporate defense attorneys. His face was pale, his hands trembling slightly as he stared at the digital tablet resting before him. Every board member in the room was staring at him in utter silence, their screens displaying the leaked toxicology report.
The heavy double oak doors of the boardroom swung open.
Julian stepped inside. He was no longer wearing his pristine wedding tuxedo or an executive suit. He wore a simple dark wool coat, his hair damp from the rain, his expression carved out of solid granite.
Beside him walked Elowen Hale, her brown coat worn at the cuffs, her head held high and unbowed as she stepped into the room she had been banished from for twenty-five years.
"Julian..." Clara’s father, a senior board member, stood up from his leather chair. "The documents... is this really true?"
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"It’s all true," Julian said, his voice ringing clearly across the quiet room. "Victor Thorne poisoned my father twenty-five years ago, framed my mother, and stole control of this company using extortion and murder."
Victor slowly stood up from his chair, leaning heavily on his walking stick. He glared at Elowen with unadulterated venom, then turned to the board. "These are fabricated digital fakes! I built this company! You cannot remove me on the word of a bitter former domestic worker!"
