Chapter 11 - Breach of the Boardroom
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The private elevator rose forty floors in less than thirty seconds, the digital floor numbers flashing upward in a relentless blur of red light: 38, 39, 40.
Inside the cabin, Emma stood beside her father, her heart hammering against her ribs not with fear, but with the intoxicating adrenaline of impending retribution.
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft chime on the executive penthouse level.
The private reception lobby was dead silent. The plush gray carpeting absorbed every sound. Through the frosted glass double doors of the boardroom at the end of the hall, the muffled sound of voices could be heard—Nathan’s voice, raised in aggressive persuasion, addressing the board of directors.
“—and therefore, with the emergency proxy transfer executed by Mrs. Carver prior to her medical leave, I am moving to immediately dissolve the secondary trust and consolidate ninety percent of voting shares under my direct executive authority,” Nathan was saying, his tone smooth, confident, and utterly devoid of doubt.
Emma and her father walked down the hallway side by side.
Standing outside the boardroom doors were two private security guards hired by Nathan. As Emma and her father approached, the guards stepped forward, blocking the entrance.
“Stop right there. Private executive session in progress—you cannot—,” the lead guard started, reaching for his radio.
Before he could finish the sentence, Emma’s father didn't hesitate. He stepped forward with a speed that belied his gray hair, grabbed the guard’s arm, twisted it behind his back with practiced precision, and shoved him against the reinforced glass wall with a dull thud.
The second guard lunged forward, but Emma moved instantly, sweeping his legs out from under him with a sharp kick to the knee. He hit the carpet hard, gasping for air as Emma pinned his shoulder with her boot.
“Stay down,” Emma said coldly.
Her father didn't waste a second. He reached out, grabbed the polished brass handles of the boardroom doors, and threw them open with a resounding crash that echoed through the entire penthouse.
All conversation inside the room stopped instantly.
Twelve members of the board of directors turned their heads in unison toward the entrance. At the head of the polished mahogany table stood Nathan Carver, his mouth slightly open, documents clutched in his white-knuckled hands.
Sitting right beside him in a champagne silk dress, sipping sparkling water from a crystal glass, was Celeste.
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Celeste’s eyes widened in absolute, frozen horror as she looked past the doorway.
Standing in the entrance, illuminated by the bright morning light pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows, were Emma Carver... and the ghost she was supposed to have buried five years ago.
