Chapter 8
The room went silent again.
Arthur Hale’s smile faded.
“Eleanor,” he said. “What is the meaning of this? Why are the police here?”
My mom walked to the head of the table, next to me.
“The meaning, Arthur,” she said, “is that the game is over.”
She nodded at Mia.
Mia opened the laptop, connected it to the projector on the wall.
A video started playing.
Ethan, in his office, two weeks ago.
Talking to Arthur Hale.
“…so we leak the fake records,” Ethan was saying. “Clara takes the fall. Goes to prison. Roland dies of a broken heart. You become CEO. I get the four million, plus a seat on the board. Everyone wins.”
Arthur’s face was on the screen, nodding, smiling.
“Perfect,” he said. “I’ve waited 20 years to take this company from that arrogant bastard Roland. This is the perfect opportunity. No loose ends?”
“None,” Ethan said. “All the evidence points to Clara. She’ll be in prison for 20 years. By the time she gets out, Voss Global will be ours.”
The video ended.
Arthur was white as a sheet.
“That’s… that’s a fake,” he stammered. “Deepfake. I never said any of that—”
“Sure you did,” Mia said, speaking for the first time. Her voice was quiet, steady. “I recorded it. I’ve been recording everything for six months. Ethan paid me half a million dollars to help him. But then he threatened to kill my little brother if I talked. Mrs. Voss found me last night. Offered me protection. Offered me a new life. So I brought everything.”
She pulled a USB drive out of her pocket, held it up.
“All the emails,” she said. “All the videos. All the bank records proving Ethan and Arthur stole the money. All the proof Clara is innocent. Everything. Enough to put both of them away for 30 years.”
The police officers stepped forward.
“Arthur Hale,” one of them said, pulling out handcuffs. “You’re under arrest for conspiracy to commit fraud, blackmail, and attempted grand larceny. You have the right to remain silent…”
They led him out, sputtering, yelling that this was a setup, that he’d sue us all.
The rest of the board sat in stunned silence.
My mom turned to them.
“Gentlemen,” she said. “For the last 40 years, I have stood by Roland’s side. I have hosted every gala, every fundraiser, every board dinner. I have smiled, I have poured the tea, I have played the perfect society wife. And all of you have looked at me like I was just a pretty face. Like I was nothing more than a decoration on Roland’s arm.”
She leaned forward, hands on the table, her voice cold as ice.
“You were wrong,” she said. “I know every single one of your secrets. I know who’s cheating on his wife with his secretary. I know who’s been skimming from the pension fund. I know who’s been selling company secrets to our competitors. And if any of you ever, ever try to undermine my daughter again? I will burn every single one of you to the ground. Do I make myself clear?”
The board members nodded, fast, eyes wide.
“Good,” she said. She turned to me, smiled. “The floor is yours, CEO Voss.”
I looked at her.
I’d never been prouder.
I turned back to the board.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s get back to work.”
The rest of the meeting was a blur.
We voted unanimously to keep me as CEO, permanent.
We voted to press criminal charges against Arthur and Ethan and James.
We voted to implement new financial controls, new security protocols, new transparency rules to make sure nothing like this ever happened again.
By the time we adjourned, it was 2 PM.
I walked out of the boardroom, exhausted, my mom and Brooke and Javi waiting for me.
“You did it,” Javi said, grinning, picking me up and spinning me around. “You actually did it.”
I laughed, hugging him tight.
“We did it,” I said.
Brooke came over, nervous.
“Clara,” she said. “About the gambling debts. And the fake invoices. I know I deserve to go to prison. But… is there any way… I can make this right? I’ll do anything. Work for free. Whatever you want.”
I looked at her.
She was my best friend.
She’d made a terrible mistake.
But she’d tried to fix it.
“10 years,” I said. “You run the Voss Family Foundation. Every single cent of your salary goes to paying back the money you helped steal. No more gambling. No more lies. If you so much as buy a lottery ticket? I turn the records over to the police myself. Deal?”
Tears poured down her face.
She hugged me so tight I could barely breathe.
“Deal,” she said. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
My phone rang.
May you like
The ICU.
“Ms. Voss?” the doctor said. “We’re waking your father up now. He’s asking for you.”
