Chapter 17 - FOUR O'CLOCK
Monday afternoon, rain struck the windows of Vale House as the foundation board assembled. Victoria arrived with three lawyers and a smile designed for photographers.
"Nathaniel," she said, "please tell me you aren't letting a waitress run this meeting."
"Emma isn't running it. The evidence is."
Dana requested a delay and presented the forged authorization, Jo's transfer documentation, Frank's report, and the preliminary accounting findings. Victoria objected to almost every sentence.
"These are fragments," she said. "Your mother is recovering from a stroke. Your waitress has been offered money she refused only after talking to the press."
"I didn't talk to the press," Emma said. "You did."
A board member asked Nathaniel whether he'd signed the outsourcing agreement. He stood.
"Yes. I authorized it, and I failed to follow up when I should have. I bear responsibility for that failure. I will cooperate with an independent investigation, even if it costs me my position."
For the first time, Victoria looked genuinely unsettled.
Eleanor rolled forward beside Rosa, her communication tablet mounted in front of her. She typed while everyone waited.
I KNEW WHAT I WAS SIGNING. I DID NOT SIGN THEIR DOCUMENT.
Victoria laughed nervously. "Eleanor, sweetheart, you're being manipulated."
The tablet spoke again.
"I am not confused. I am afraid of what you did while my son refused to listen."
Dana's phone buzzed. She read the message and turned to Nathaniel.
May you like
"The judge granted a temporary preservation order," she said. "But the scheduled transfer is still set to execute unless the bank receives our emergency hold instruction in time."
Across the table, Victoria quietly reached for her phone.
