The phone speaker hummed with the steady, quiet breath of Sarah Sterling. Beside my bed, the heart monitor tapped a slow, rhythmic beat.

The boardroom turned completely silent.

Richard Henderson put on his reading glasses and scanned the spreadsheets. His face grew darker with every line he read. He looked up at Julian with disgust.

"Julian," Henderson said, his voice cold. "Is this true?"

"It... it was an operational expense!" Julian stammered, his eyes darting wildly between his father and the board members. "Victoria was managing private consultancy work for our expansion project!"

"Consultancy work?" I raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you call a luxury penthouse on Peachtree Street and a custom nursery?"

Arthur slowly turned his head to look at his son. "You used corporate funds... for her?"

"Dad, listen to me—" Julian pleaded.

"Shut up!" Arthur suddenly roared, slamming his walking stick against the table with a loud CRACK that made everyone jump. "You fool! You incompetent, weak-minded fool!"

Arthur covered his face with his hands, his body shaking with rage and humiliation. He had spent his entire life building an image of aristocratic perfection, only for his own son to tear it apart through sheer stupidity and greed.

Richard Henderson turned to the rest of the board. "I call for an immediate vote on the motion to remove Julian Vance from all corporate positions, effective immediately, pending a full forensic audit."

"Second," another director said instantly.

"All in favor?" Henderson asked.

Every single hand at the table went up. Except Arthur’s. Arthur simply sat there, his hands covering his face, defeated.

Julian stared at the raised hands in horror. "You can't do this to me! I am a Vance! This is my company!"

"Security," Henderson called out over the intercom. "Please escort Mr. Vance from the premises. Revoke his keycard access and secure his office."

Two large security guards walked into the room. They grabbed Julian by the arms.

"Elena!" Julian screamed as they dragged him toward the door, his polished mask completely shattered. "Elena, please! We can talk about this! Think about Maya! She needs her father!"

I looked at him as he thrashing against the guards, feeling no anger, no satisfaction, no desire for revenge—only a profound sense of relief that the monster had finally been stripped of his disguise.