Chapter 2 – Every Lie Comes Due
Chapter 2 – Every Lie Comes Due
The emergency board meeting began less than thirty minutes later.
Marcus stormed into the executive conference room without knocking.
"You can't remove me!"
"I built this company!"
Richard quietly slid a thick leather binder across the polished table.
"Open it."
Marcus flipped through page after page.
Original land purchases.
Construction financing.
Trademark ownership.
Hotel licenses.
Every signature traced back...
Not to Marcus.
To Carter Holdings.
The company Marcus believed he owned had merely operated the hotels.
The properties themselves...
Had never belonged to him.
Evelyn watched him in silence.
"I never wanted credit."
"I wanted a partner."
"You had both."
"You chose betrayal."
Sophia suddenly stood.
"There has to be some mistake."
Richard looked at her calmly.
"The sapphire brooch you're wearing..."
"My late wife's."
"My daughter inherited it."
"You removed family property from its rightful owner."
Sophia instinctively reached for the brooch.
Security stepped beside her.
She slowly unclasped it.
An evidence bag appeared.
Nobody argued.
Marcus slammed his fists onto the table.
"You planned this!"
Evelyn shook her head.
"No."
"I protected you."
"For eleven years."
"You destroyed yourself in one night."
The board chairman finally spoke.
"By unanimous vote..."
May you like
"Marcus Hale is removed as CEO effective immediately."
His executive access card stopped working before he even stood up.
