Chapter 4 - Twelve Minutes to Judgment
The emergency board meeting began at one o’clock.
Dominic sat at one end of the long glass table. Valerie sat beside an attorney supplied by the company, though the attorney immediately clarified that he represented Apex, not her personally.
I sat at the opposite end with Chloe and my legal counsel.
The board reviewed the evidence in silence.
The first resolution removed Dominic as CEO.
It passed unanimously.
The second terminated Valerie’s employment for misconduct, assault, retaliation, and financial fraud.
It also passed unanimously.
The third canceled the Northstar agreement and authorized cooperation with law enforcement.
Dominic finally lost control.
“You cannot erase everything I built!”
Jonathan Hale closed the contract in front of him.
“You did not build Apex. Charles Crestwood did.”
“I made this company profitable.”
“You concealed losses for six quarters,” I said. “You inflated revenue through incomplete transactions and used company funds to maintain an apartment for your mistress.”
Valerie turned toward him.
“You told me you paid for that apartment yourself.”
Dominic ignored her.
He pointed at me.
“You abandoned leadership. You attended charity dinners while I worked every night.”
“You encouraged me to step away because it made me easier to control.”
“You were never strong enough for this world.”
I leaned forward.
“Yet I uncovered your entire scheme while carrying coffee and scheduling meetings.”
The room became silent.
Dominic looked toward the board members who had once supported him.
None defended him.
Detective Reed entered and requested that Dominic and Valerie accompany him for questioning. The investigation would continue for months, but the evidence was already overwhelming.
Before security escorted them from the room, Valerie removed the sapphire ring.
She placed it on the table.
“I didn’t know it was stolen.”
“You knew he had a wife,” I replied.
Her eyes filled with humiliation.
“He said you were weak.”
“No. He needed you to believe I was weak because that made his promises sound possible.”
Dominic stopped at the door.
For the first time, his confidence disappeared completely.
“Audrey, we can repair this.”
I almost laughed.
He had betrayed our marriage, forged my signature, stolen from the company, and planned to remove me from my father’s legacy.
Yet he still believed a few careful words could return the world to its previous position.
“There is nothing left to repair.”
“What about everything we had?”
“What we had existed only because I did not know the truth.”
He glanced at the ring on the table.
“I loved you.”
“You loved the doors my name opened.”
Security led him away.
That evening, I returned to the home we had shared.
I found Dominic’s clothes arranged inside the closet, his shoes lined beneath them, and our wedding photograph on the dresser.
For years, I believed losing him would destroy me.
Instead, the house felt peaceful without him.
I removed my wedding ring and placed it beside the photograph.
Then I called my attorney and instructed her to file for divorce.
The next morning, newspapers reported Dominic’s removal from Apex. Within two weeks, Northstar withdrew completely. Several executives who participated in the scheme resigned before the company could dismiss them.
The stolen money was frozen.
The falsified contracts were canceled.
Employees who had been unfairly terminated were invited to return with compensation.
But repairing the company required more than removing criminals.
It required rebuilding trust.
For the first time, I stepped into the role my father had always believed I could hold.
I became chairwoman and interim CEO of Apex Innovation.
Not everyone supported me.
Some investors assumed I was an inexperienced heiress seeking revenge.
They changed their minds when I presented a recovery plan, exposed hidden liabilities, and secured new agreements without surrendering control.
Within six months, Apex regained its stability.
Within a year, it achieved its strongest ethical-compliance rating in company history.
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I kept the plain white blouse from my days as Sophia Brooks.
It reminded me that powerful people often reveal their true character only to those they consider powerless.
