Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Coronation
The glass-walled executive boardroom on the top floor of the Vance Shipyard headquarters overlooked the sprawling Baltimore harbor. The room was packed with the board of directors, legal teams, and major investors.
Garrett stood at the head of the mahogany table, wearing a crisp, dark suit. He looked arrogant, untouchable, and victorious. Penelope sat to his right, looking smugly comfortable in the chair that belonged to me.
"I want to thank you all for your condolences," Garrett said, his voice dripping with manufactured grief. "Losing Rosalind and Tobias has shattered my world. But Rosalind would want the shipyard to continue thriving. As per the trust’s bylaws, with my wife passing without issue, the controlling shares now transfer to her sister, Penelope. As her husband, I will be stepping in as the acting CEO to guide us through this dark time."
The board members murmured in agreement. The lead attorney opened the heavy leather binder to finalize the signatures.
"If there are no objections," the attorney began, uncapping his gold pen.
The heavy oak doors of the boardroom violently slammed open.
"I have a rather massive objection," I announced, my voice ringing out with crystal clarity.
The room erupted into absolute, paralyzing chaos. Board members leaped out of their chairs.
Garrett froze, the color instantly draining from his face. His jaw dropped open, his eyes widening in sheer, unadulterated terror. He looked as though he were staring at a ghost. Beside him, Penelope let out a blood-curdling shriek, clutching her pregnant stomach as if she had just been stabbed.
"Rosalind?" Garrett choked out, stumbling backward until his spine hit the glass window. "How... you're dead. The river..."
"I'm afraid the river rejected me, Garrett," I said smoothly, stepping into the room. I was wearing a tailored crimson power suit, radiating the authority he had tried to drown.
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"And I'm afraid you forgot one crucial detail about our family," a new voice echoed from the hallway.
Tobias walked into the boardroom. He wasn't in a wheelchair. He walked with a strong, confident stride, flanked by three federal agents and my personal, highly paid corporate litigator.
