Chapter 6 - The Emergency Boardroom
The corporate headquarters of Cole Enterprises was a monolith of steel and tinted glass in the heart of the financial district. The top-floor boardroom was silent, the long glass table surrounded by the twelve primary board members, men and women who controlled billions of dollars in global assets.
Ethan sat at the head of the table in his wheelchair. Maya was not allowed inside the room, but she refused to leave the building. She sat in the reception area outside, holding Leo, enduring the pointed stares of the executives and secretaries who passed by.
Inside, the battle was brutal.
"The stock has dropped four percent since the opening bell, Ethan," one of the older board members said, tapping his pen against the table. "The public feels cheated. You held a press conference four months ago in a neck brace, implying you might never walk again. Now we see this." He pointed to the projection screen, where the image of Ethan and Maya was displayed.
"My medical team advised a conservative public statement while we evaluated the long-term neurological damage," Ethan explained smoothly, his voice showing no signs of strain. "I have not committed fraud. My ability to direct this company has never been compromised."
"And what about the woman?" Arthur Vance asked, leaning forward, slamming his hands onto the glass. "The maid? The woman my daughter caught trying to extort money from the estate by using her child as leverage?"
Outside the door, Maya could hear the muffled rise of voices. She held Leo tighter, her heart breaking. They were turning her into a monster, a gold-digging caricature to save their own corporate narrative.
Suddenly, the boardroom doors swung open. Gerald walked out, his face pale but determined. He looked at Maya.
"They want you inside, Maya," Gerald whispered. "Arthur Vance is invoking a character clause. He wants you to testify about your relationship with Ethan."
"Gerald, I can't," Maya whispered, her eyes wide with panic. "They will tear me apart."
"Ethan told me to tell you that you don't have to go in," Gerald said gently. "He said he will sign the resignation before he lets them put you through that. But Maya... if he resigns, Vance takes the company, and the first thing they will do is file criminal charges against Ethan for fraud. They want to destroy him completely."
Maya looked down at Leo, who was looking up at her with his large, innocent eyes. She thought of Ethan standing in the library, shaking but resolute, telling her he was tired of the dark.
May you like
She handed Leo to Gerald. "Watch him for five minutes, Gerald."
She stood up, straightened her cheap linen skirt, and walked through the heavy double doors into the lion’s den.
