The boardroom felt like an icebox. Richard's heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird. The documents laid out by Mr. Hayes were more than just financial reports; they were a death warrant for his career. Every board member, men he had once bribed or bullied into submission, was now looking at him with undisguised contempt.
"Richard, what is the meaning of this?" Mr. Thompson asked, his voice trembling with a mix of fury and fear. "Is it true? Did you siphon money from Thorne Industries to fund your private ventures before the bankruptcy?"
"It's a lie! A desperate fabrication by a woman seeking revenge!" Richard shouted, but even to his own ears, his voice sounded thin and unconvincing.
Aurora leaned back in her chair, a cold, predatory smile playing on her lips. "Is it, Richard? Then perhaps you'd like to explain the offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands that received exactly those amounts? Or the signatures on these transfer slips that, when analyzed by an expert, will undoubtedly match yours?"
She signaled to Mr. Hayes, who tapped a few keys on his tablet. On the large screen at the end of the room, a video began to play. It was grainy, hidden-camera footage from five years ago. It showed Richard in his old office, late at night, shredding files and speaking in hushed tones on the phone about 'making Emily the perfect scapegoat.'
Stella, watching from the corner, let out a small, strangled cry. She had known Richard was ruthless, but seeing the cold-blooded calculation of his betrayal was something else entirely. She realized then that she was just as expendable to him as Emily had been.
"I think we've seen enough," Mr. Thompson said, his voice cold. He turned to the other board members. "I move for an immediate vote of no confidence in Richard Vance as CEO of Vance Industries."
The vote was unanimous. In less than ten minutes, Richard had lost the very empire he had stolen.
"You can't do this!" Richard screamed, his face turning a sickly shade of purple. "I built this company!"
"No, Richard," Aurora corrected him, her voice like a whip. "My father built this company. You merely infested it like a parasite. And today, the parasite is being removed."