At 7:00, executive access to protected accounts was suspended.”
Dominic reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
Arthur continued.
“Your corporate cards, building credentials, aircraft authorization, and signing authority are inactive.”
Dominic stared at his screen.
During the meeting, messages had been arriving one after another.
His private banker.
The aviation office.
The manager of the Battery residence.
Each notification marked another door closing.
“The house is mine,” he said.
“The Battery residence belongs to the trust,” Eliza said.
“The New York apartment?”
“Trust property.”
“The plane?”
“Leased through a trust-controlled subsidiary.”
His breathing changed.
He had spent years speaking about “my house,” “my plane,” “my company,” and “my foundation.” The language had become so familiar that everyone around him had stopped questioning it, including Dominic himself.
Sierra stared at him.
“You told me you owned all of it.”
Dominic ignored her.
“You told me Eliza had a minority inheritance,” Sierra pressed.
“You said she signed control over to you after Samuel died.”
“I said enough to keep you focused.”
The words landed like a slap.
Sierra’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.
For the first time, Eliza saw the precise moment Sierra understood that she had not been chosen as a partner.
She had been selected as a weapon.
Dominic had promised her a kingdom he never owned and used her ambition to carry out the theft.
That did not make Sierra innocent.
She had taken the tablet, prepared the transfer, and smiled at Eliza during the kiss.
But the cruelty she had helped deliver was now turning toward her.
Malcolm called the meeting to order.
“The chair recognizes a motion to suspend Dominic Stone as chief executive pending termination review and investigation.”
A director raised her hand.
“So moved.”
“Seconded.”
Dominic struck the table.
“You cannot remove me based on a staged recording and a jealous wife’s accusation.”
Arthur looked toward the security officer.
“There is more.”
The officer placed a second evidence bag on the table.
Inside was a slim black phone.
Sierra whispered, “That is not mine.”
“No,” Arthur said.
“It belongs to Dominic.”
Dominic’s hand moved instinctively toward his jacket pocket before he remembered the phone was no longer there.
The device had been collected after corporate security discovered he had used it to communicate with a consultant hired to pressure three directors before the vote.
Messages showed promises of future contracts, threats to expose private debts, and instructions to leak misleading information suggesting Eliza was mentally unstable.
One message had been sent at 1:13 that morning.
Make her look emotional.
Once she loses control in public, no one will trust her with the company.
Arthur read it aloud.
Eliza remained still.
Dominic had counted on tears.
