Chapter 11 - The Vote

At nine the next morning, Vale Automotive’s board gathered on the thirty-second floor of the glass tower.Richard sat at the head of the table. The acquisition documents lay open before him, and a wall screen displayed a presentation about “restoring trust through strategic partnership.”

Nora entered with Celeste, Adrian, and a federal investigator named Simone Brooks. Two security guards moved to block the doorway, but Simone showed her credentials and told them to stand down.

Richard’s smile didn’t move. “This is a private meeting.”

“Not when you’re signing a sale based on falsified safety records,” Nora said.

She placed the black module on the table. Luis had already sent a copy of his statement to Simone, and Marcus’s testimony was being recorded at a secure location. But the board members looked at the module as if it were a dead insect.

“Where is your evidence?” one director asked.

Nora showed them the altered report, the payment to Marcus Bell, and the forged time stamps. Richard listened without interruption, then folded his hands.

“An unfortunate tragedy has clearly damaged my niece’s judgment,” he said. “She has been grieving, drinking, and making accusations against the only people who have tried to protect her.”

“I don’t drink,” Nora said. “And you know it.”

“Can you prove the files weren’t altered by you?”

The question landed exactly where he intended. Her credentials had signed the patch. Without the original server logs, the evidence could be twisted to make her the culprit.

Richard turned to the board. “I move that we proceed with the acquisition and refer these allegations to counsel.”

Celeste stood, shaking but clear-voiced.

“I signed a false report,” she said. “I did it because Richard threatened my daughter. I will testify to that under oath.”

The room erupted. Richard’s face hardened for the first time.

Simone stepped forward. “The sale must pause pending a federal review.”

“You don’t have authority over this board,” Richard snapped.

“No,” Simone said. “But I do have a warrant for your office and the server room beneath the old test track.”

Richard glanced at the clock, then at his phone. A tiny smile returned.

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“You’re too late,” he said. “The server was wiped at eight forty-five.”

Nora’s phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number appeared: THE ORIGINAL IS NOT IN THE SERVER.