Part 4: The Boardroom Confrontation
At 9:00 the following morning, the executive boardroom of Hale Vanguard Enterprises was silent, save for the hum of the climate control system. My father sat at the head of the mahogany table, looking every bit the wealthy patriarch in his tailored suit. My mother sat to his right, her expression tight and defensive, while Rebecca sat across from them, aggressively scrolling through her phone.
"Daniel, thank God you're here," my mother said, rising to offer a rehearsed, fragile smile as I walked through the double doors. "We've been sick with worry. We overreacted yesterday, sweetie. The stress of the party—"
"Sit down, Linda," I said. My voice wasn't loud, but it held a chilling, absolute finality that made her freeze mid-step.
I didn't bring Lily into that room. I had left her under the secure protection of Dr. Torres's residential clinic staff. Instead, I walked to the center of the table and dropped a heavy, encrypted digital tablet onto the polished wood.
"What is the meaning of this?" my father barked, his professional armor snapping into place. "We scheduled this meeting to discuss the corporate structural merger, not to rehash a family dispute over a children's party."
"We aren't discussing a merger, Robert," I said, leaning over the table, my dark eyes locking onto his. "We’re discussing a forensic audit."
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I tapped the screen of the tablet. The twelve-second video of Rebecca striking Lily began to play on the massive presentation monitors mounted to the boardroom walls, repeating on a continuous, high-definition loop.
Rebecca’s phone slipped from her fingers, clattering loudly against the table. Her face turned an ash-gray color. My mother gasped, her hand flying to her throat, her aristocratic composure completely disintegrating in real-time.
