Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Ambush
The emergency meeting took place on a rainy Thursday morning.
Claire entered the boardroom expecting a discussion about stolen funds. Instead, she found Dr. Wells seated beside Daniel.
A thick folder rested in front of every board member.
Martin Vale would not meet her eyes.
“What is this?” Claire asked.
Daniel rose slowly.
“We are trying to prevent a crisis.”
Dr. Wells opened his folder.
“Mrs. Hart has displayed escalating paranoia, memory impairment, and violent behavior.”
“My name is Claire Hartwell.”
The doctor paused.
Daniel addressed the board.
“Claire needs rest. Under the company bylaws, temporary executive authority can transfer to her legal spouse if she is medically incapable.”
Claire looked around the room. Several directors appeared uncomfortable. Others avoided her gaze.
She opened the folder.
Inside were hospital notes, psychiatric observations, and photographs of Daniel’s injured hand. There was also a statement from Evelyn describing years of unstable behavior.
Years.
Claire read the dates. Some reports claimed she had been examined in cities she had not visited. One listed a consultation while she was speaking at a conference in Singapore.
“These are false,” she said.
Daniel sighed, as though her denial proved his argument.
Priya stood.
“The Singapore date is impossible. I was with Claire the entire week.”
A board member named Gerald Knox frowned.
“That should be verified before any vote.”
Daniel’s eyes flashed toward Priya.
Martin finally spoke.
“There are also financial concerns.”
Claire turned to him, expecting support.
Instead, he slid another report across the table.
It accused Claire of approving reckless transfers and hiding company losses.
The room tilted.
Martin had been the one who warned her. Now his signature appeared beneath the accusations.
Claire understood then that he was not protecting her.
He was protecting himself.
Claire closed the folder.
“I request forty-eight hours to submit independent medical and financial evidence.”
Daniel objected immediately.
Gerald Knox raised a hand.
“She is still chief executive. She has the right to respond.”
The motion passed by one vote.
As the directors left, Daniel blocked Claire near the door.
“You should accept help before this becomes humiliating.”
Claire looked beyond him at Evelyn, who was watching with a satisfied smile.
“You forged medical records.”
Daniel leaned close enough that only she could hear.
“Prove it.”
That afternoon, Priya discovered that Naomi Brooks had vanished.
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Her phone was disconnected. Her office had been emptied. The backup report she promised to send was gone.
Claire’s forty-eight hours had begun, and nearly all her evidence had disappeared.
