CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
The Boardroom Betrayal
The following morning...
Adrian stormed into Ashford Global Tower expecting to calm investors.
Instead...
Every board member was already waiting.
Along with six attorneys.
And Claire.
She entered wearing a navy suit.
Confident.
Elegant.
Nothing like the broken woman he abandoned the night before.
Vanessa nearly choked.
"You..."
Claire smiled politely.
"Good morning."
The chairman cleared his throat.
"Mr. Brooks..."
"There is something you should have known years ago."
He projected the corporate ownership chart.
Layer...
After layer...
After layer.
Every company Adrian believed he owned ultimately flowed into one trust.
Ashford Legacy.
Beneficiary:
Claire Ashford.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Adrian stared.
"This isn't possible."
One attorney calmly slid a binder toward him.
"It has been possible for the last decade."
Flashbacks revealed the truth.
Whenever Adrian believed investors had miraculously saved him...
Claire had quietly convinced her father to help.
Whenever banks approved impossible loans...
Ashford guarantees stood behind them.
Whenever competitors mysteriously withdrew hostile takeovers...
Richard had purchased their shares first.
Claire had never taken credit.
Not once.
The chairman continued.
"As of this morning..."
"Mr. Adrian Brooks..."
"You are relieved of all executive authority."
Security entered.
The same way Adrian once had Claire removed.
His employee badge stopped working.
His office doors locked automatically.
His assistant avoided eye contact.
Everything disappeared in less than three minutes.
Vanessa whispered...
"What do we do now?"
Adrian answered...
May you like
"We fight."
Neither realized the worst evidence was still hidden.
