“Seven times.”
Andrew felt the words like blows.
“I sent two letters to your apartment, three to the office, one through your executive assistant, and one by certified courier.
The last contained a copy of Lauren’s ultrasound and the laboratory report identifying the shell companies Ivy controlled.”
“I never saw any of them.”
“I know that now.”
Ivy gave a dismissive laugh.
“This is absurd.
Andrew’s private correspondence passed through an entire staff.
Any one of them could have misplaced a letter.”
Mary nodded toward the paper in Andrew’s hand.
“The tracking numbers are on the second page.”
Andrew unfolded the letter completely.
Beneath Mary’s statement was a list of dates, courier numbers, names, and signatures.
The final package had been received at Hale Meridian’s executive floor by Simone Reed, Ivy’s personal assistant.
Andrew turned to Ivy.
“You told me Mary had vanished because she was guilty.”
“She did vanish.”
“You made sure she could not reach me.”
“I protected the company from a woman who had already compromised it.”
Mary pushed herself higher against the pillows despite the nurse’s warning.
“I did not compromise Hale Meridian.
I found out you were stealing from it.”
Andrew’s general counsel, Daniel Chen, entered the room carrying a laptop and two document cases.
He had arrived so quickly that his tie was crooked and rain still darkened the shoulders of his coat.
“The emergency board meeting is still open,” Daniel said.
“I delayed the vote by challenging the notice procedure.
We have twenty-two minutes before the directors can proceed again.”
Ivy’s confidence returned.
“Then stop wasting time in a hospital room,” she told Andrew.
“The board has already seen the evidence of your concealment, your erratic decisions, and your relationship with a former employee accused of theft.
You have no majority.”
Andrew looked down at Lauren.
She stood beside Rosa near the window, holding her Bible with both arms.
She was watching the adults carefully, trying to understand which one had the power to make her mother safe.
For years, Andrew had measured power by ownership percentages, voting agreements, and the number of people who stopped talking when he entered a room.
Lauren’s expression showed him something different.
Power was knowing the truth and choosing not to abandon it again.
“Move the board meeting here,” Andrew told Daniel.
Daniel opened the laptop.
Ivy shook her head.
“You cannot conduct corporate governance from a patient’s bedside.”
“Watch me.”
Within minutes, twelve directors appeared on the screen.
Some looked irritated.
Others looked nervous.
At the center was Nathan Cole, the retired judge who chaired the board.
“Mr.
Hale,” Nathan said, “we were informed you were refusing to attend.”
“I was attending to the victim of a crime connected to this company.”
Ivy stepped into view.
“This spectacle has nothing to do with the scheduled vote.”
“It has everything to do with it,” Andrew said.
Daniel shared the archive-room recording.
The directors watched Owen Pike force his way inside, struggle with Mary, and leave her unconscious on the floor.
