Chapter 13 - IN FRONT OF THE BOARD
Adrian entered the boardroom on his own feet, using a cane on the bad days like Dr. Chen had advised. The room went silent. Graham sat at the far end of the table beside two attorneys, looking as though he'd prepared for every possible outcome except this one.
"Gentlemen," Adrian said, then nodded to the women around the table. "Everyone. Sorry I'm late. Traffic."
Nobody laughed.
Graham stood. "This is a stunt. We have medical documentation--"
"From a doctor who died before he supposedly signed it," Nora interrupted.
She distributed certified records, Dr. Chen's sworn declaration, and a copy of the court order blocking the Crescent Harbor sale. Adrian watched the directors read. Some looked appalled. A few avoided his eyes.
"I was injured," he told them. "I still am. What happened to me does not give anyone the right to forge my name or clear families out of their homes."
Graham spread his hands. "Our accounts show a cash shortage. The sale keeps employees paid."
"Then open the books to an independent audit."
"That takes time."
"So does destroying a community."
The board chair called for a recess. While directors gathered in knots, Emma arrived with her own counsel and a tenant representative. She had chosen to attend after Nora requested her testimony, not because Adrian had asked.
"I saw Vanessa push the chair," she said, standing straight despite her bruised knee. "I pulled him back. That's what happened."
Graham's lawyer held up a newspaper clipping. "Isn't it true Mr. Blackwood concealed his recovery from you?"
"Yes," Emma said. "It hurt. He apologized. That doesn't change what I saw."
Her honesty landed harder than any polished statement.
The chair was about to resume the meeting when a process server entered carrying another filing. Graham smiled as it changed hands.
"The court just received a new power of attorney," Nora said, reading. "It claims Adrian signed over his voting rights last week."
May you like
Adrian hadn't signed anything.
The witness signature was Emma's.
