Chapter 17 - THE BOARDROOM
The signature was a forgery. Again. Dante stared at it until the letters blurred.
"How many versions of me have they invented?" he asked.
"Enough to keep you fighting paper while they move real money," Claire Bennett answered.
She sought an emergency order while Price forwarded her evidence to investigators with jurisdiction over the financial transfers. The next morning Dante arrived at the headquarters in his wheelchair, accompanied by Claire, Marina, and an independent physician's written assessment.
Luca stood at the far end of the boardroom.
"You should be resting," he said.
"I've had eight months of rest. I'm here for the vote."
A director glanced at the wheelchair. "We were told you couldn't understand the transaction."
Dante laid his hand on the table. "Ask me anything about it. Ask me why the buyer formed three weeks after my crash. Ask me why its attorney also represents Northbridge Care."
Luca's smile faded. "This isn't a courtroom."
"No," Dante said. "It's the company I built. And I owe the employees the truth."
He disclosed the disputed signatures, the pending injunction, and the independent review. The directors suspended the sale and appointed outside counsel to secure the records. Luca stepped toward the exit, but two investigators were waiting in the hall to question him.
Celeste caught Marina's arm.
"You think he cares about you?" she hissed. "You're another employee he'll discard when he can stand."
Marina freed her arm. "His legs have nothing to do with whether he can choose whom to trust."
Celeste's eyes flicked to the investigators.
"You haven't found what happened to Vincent," she whispered. "And you won't like the answer."
May you like
That afternoon, a sealed packet arrived at Claire's office. Inside was a memory card recovered from the wrecked car's dashboard system.
Its label read: LAST THIRTY MINUTES.
