Chapter 16: The Trustee’s Game

The prison photo didn’t look like it was taken in a prison.

Ravenna Argent sat on a metal stool, back straight, hair pulled into a low knot like she was attending a board meeting instead of serving time for conspiracy to murder. The concrete wall behind her was blank. The fluorescent light overhead cast a harsh glare on the paper in her hands.

*BOARD MEETING. 24 HOURS. BE THERE.*

No signature. No explanation. She didn’t need one.

Jennifer set the phone down on the kitchen counter of the Geneva safe house and looked at David.

“She can’t legally call a board meeting from prison,” Jennifer said. “Can she?”

David’s jaw tightened. “Not directly. But as trustee of the Argent Family Trust, she still controls Argent Global’s voting rights. And Argent Global still owns 29% of Loriss Corp.”

Ms. Okoro entered from the hallway, laptop under her arm. “I checked the trust documents. She retained trustee status even after her arrest. Swiss law allows it unless she’s convicted and the trust is dissolved. She hasn’t been convicted yet.”

Jennifer felt sick. “So she can call a meeting. And force a vote.”

David nodded. “On whatever she wants.”

Marcus walked in from the garage, face grim. “Security sweep is clean. But we’ve got movement outside. Three unmarked cars parked two blocks down for the last hour.”

Ravenna’s people. Watching. Waiting.

Jennifer picked up the phone again. The photo had no metadata. No location. Just the message.

“She wants us there,” Jennifer said. “If we don’t show, she’ll claim we abandoned our fiduciary duty. If we do show, she’ll try to kill us.”

David crossed the room and took her hand. “Then we make sure she can’t do either.”

---

The meeting was set for 9 AM in the Loriss Corp headquarters boardroom.

The same room from two days ago.

This time, the cameras were off.

Ravenna wasn’t present physically. Swiss law didn’t allow prisoners to attend shareholder meetings unless escorted by armed guards, and her legal team had “declined” that option.

Instead, her proxy appeared on the main screen.

A man in his 40s, sharp suit, no expression.

“Mr. Kessler,” Ms. Okoro whispered. “Ravenna’s personal attorney. He holds her proxy.”

Kessler tapped the table once. “Let’s begin. This emergency meeting is called to order by Ravenna Argent, trustee of the Argent Family Trust, holder of 29% of Loriss Corp voting shares.”

Klaus Weber sat at the head of the table, sweating despite the AC. “Agenda?”

Kessler smiled. “Item one: Vote to remove David Loriss as CEO. Item two: Vote to dissolve the Benz-Loriss partnership. Item three: Vote to appoint Ravenna Argent as interim CEO.”

Jennifer nearly laughed. It was insane.

Elise Moreau spoke first. “You have no grounds. The court injunction against Harry Argent applies to all Argent Family Trust transactions.”

Kessler shook his head. “The injunction applies to the sale of Benz Holdings. It does not restrict voting rights held by the trust. We are within our rights.”

Jennifer stood up. “You’re trying to take the company by proxy because your nephew failed.”

Kessler’s eyes flicked to her. “Ms. Benz, your emotional involvement is noted. But this is business.”

David stood beside her. “You’re out of time, Kessler. The moment Ravenna is convicted, her trustee status is voided. And the conviction is coming.”

Kessler’s smile didn’t waver. “Is it?”

He tapped his tablet.

The screens on the wall lit up.

A video began to play.

Jennifer recognized the location immediately. The Zurich courthouse hallway. Twenty minutes ago.

Mara walked into frame, flanked by two agents. She looked tired, but unharmed.

Then Ravenna’s voice came through the audio.

“Read the statement, Mara. Or your daughter doesn’t make it to school today.”

Mara’s face crumpled. She looked at the camera.

“I, Mara Dubois, hereby recant my testimony regarding the journal of Henri Voss. The journal is a forgery. I was coerced into lying by Jennifer Benz and David Loriss.”

The video cut out.

The room went silent.

Jennifer felt like she’d been punched.

“No,” she said quietly. “She wouldn’t—”

David’s hand found hers under the table, gripping hard.

Kessler leaned forward. “Ms. Dubois signed the recantation in front of two witnesses. It’s been submitted to the court. Without her testimony, you have no evidence the contract was signed under duress.”

Ms. Okoro stood up fast. “That statement was made under duress. We can prove it.”

Kessler shrugged. “Prove it before the vote. You have 20 minutes.”

Klaus looked around the table. “All in favor of proceeding with the vote?”

Four hands went up. Klaus, two old board members, and a new face Jennifer didn’t recognize.

Four against three.

Elise Moreau’s hand hovered over the table.

Jennifer’s heart pounded.

If Elise voted yes, David was out. The partnership was dead. Ravenna would have control.

Elise looked at Jennifer.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

Her hand started to rise.

The doors burst open.

Agent Laurent walked in, flanked by two Interpol officers.

“Stop the vote,” he said.

Klaus slammed his hand on the table. “You have no authority here!”

Agent Laurent held up a tablet.

“We do now,” he said. “This is a federal warrant for the arrest of Mr. Kessler and the seizure of all documents related to the Argent Family Trust.”

Kessler stood up fast. “You can’t—”

“We can,” Agent Laurent said. “Ms. Dubois called us thirty minutes ago. The video was staged. She was in our custody the entire time. We staged the abduction to flush out Ravenna’s people.”

Mara stepped in behind him, safe, unharmed. Her daughter stood beside her, holding her hand.

Mara looked at Jennifer and mouthed _I’m sorry_.

Jennifer nodded. It was okay.

Kessler reached for his tablet. One of the officers grabbed his wrist before he could delete anything.

Klaus’s face went white. “This is illegal!”

“No,” Agent Laurent said. “What’s illegal is trying to steal a company using a coerced witness.”

He turned to the board.

“The vote is invalid,” he said. “Meeting adjourned.”

The room emptied fast.

Kessler was led out in handcuffs, still protesting.

Jennifer let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

David pulled her into a hug right there in the boardroom.

“You okay?” he asked.

Jennifer nodded against his chest. “Yeah. But Ravenna’s not done.”

David pulled back and looked at her. “No. She’s not.”

Mara approached them, her daughter hiding behind her legs.

“I’m so sorry,” Mara said. “They had her school route. I thought—”

Jennifer shook her head. “You did what you had to do. Thank you for not actually recanting.”

Mara managed a weak smile. “I’m not that good of an actress.”

Agent Laurent cleared his throat. “We need to move you both. Now. Ravenna knows the play failed. She’ll try something else.”

As they left the boardroom, Jennifer’s phone buzzed.

Another message. From an unknown number.

It was a photo.

This time, it was of the Geneva safe house.

Taken from outside, through the trees.

And at the bottom, a single line of text:

*I know where she sleeps.*

Jennifer stopped walking.

David noticed immediately.

“What is it?” he asked.

Jennifer showed him the photo.

David’s face went still.

“Ravenna doesn’t bluff,” he said quietly.

Ms. Okoro stepped forward. “We move you to a new location. Now.”

Jennifer looked at David.

“She’s playing chess,” Jennifer said. “And we’re running out of pieces.”

David nodded.

“Then we change the game,” he said.

Outside, the Geneva sky was clear.

But somewhere in the city, Ravenna Argent was making her next move.

And this time, she wasn’t aiming for the company.

She was aiming for Jennifer.