“Symbolic?”

There it was.

The first crack.

Daniel reached toward the door.

“Let me in.”

“No.”

“We can talk privately.”

“We’re done talking privately.”

I lifted my laptop so he could see the meeting invitation.

“Six o’clock,” I said. “You should probably get back.”

Vanessa’s confidence vanished.

“Back for what?”

I closed the door.

“For the board vote.”

At 6:00 p.m., I joined the emergency board meeting from my dining room.

Daniel sat at the conference table.

Vanessa sat beside him, still wearing the ring.

Miriam spoke first.

“Whitmore Family Holdings, owner of eighty-three percent of the company’s voting equity, has revoked Mr. Whitmore’s proxy and is exercising its governance rights immediately.”

Daniel leaned toward the camera.

“Claire, this is insane.”

Miriam continued.

“Evidence shows undisclosed related-party payments totaling $3.7 million to entities controlled by Ms. Cole, plus a proposed equity transfer never disclosed to the majority shareholder.”