MARKED BY DECEPTION

☆☆LILA ☆☆

I enter the boardroom for the first time since my father’s funeral.

This place used to feel like home, every time I brought him food, everytime I came to see him. The memories rush on me.

But I won’t cry. Not now.

His seat at the head of the table remains empty.

Most of the board members greet me. Some offer polite nods, others looked at me with sympathy in their eyes. But the atmosphere was thick with tension.

Jackson, the chairperson speaks first.

“Let’s observe a moment of silence in honor of Leo Moretti.”

We bow our heads. A minute passes. The silence is heavier than any words.

Jackson straightens, clearing his throat before speaking.

“We wanted to inform you before the official statement goes out.” He pauses and look at me.

“The investigation into your father’s death has been officially closed. The suspect, Rowan Blackwood, was not found guilty. There will be no further action.”

“What?” I stood up immediately, my chair screeching back.

“Miss Moretti—”

I cut him off. “What do you mean the case is closed? He was the prime suspect. My father would never have met with him willingly. This is suspicious as hell!”

Jackson’s tone was firm but calm. “Miss Moretti, I suggest you calm down. The case was closed due to a lack of evidence. Keeping it open any longer could damage both companies' reputations.”

“But—”

“I understand your pain,” he says more softly. “But aside from the fact that your father met with Mr. Blackwood before his death, no other evidence links him to the incident.”

So that was it.

No justice. Nothing.

I sit down back as the meeting continued.

My legs kept on bouncing under the table.

“I’ll hand over to Ms. Renard now.”

She offers a polite smile. Too polite.

“As you all know, the chairman position cannot remain vacant. We’ve taken this time to evaluate our options…”

I brace myself.

“…and a majority of the board believes it won't be a good decision to pass such a responsibility to someone so young.” She said staring straight at me.

I go still.

“So we've decided to offer the position to someone who have more experience and worked closely with your father when he was still alive.”

I cleared my throat before asking

“Who?”

Ms. Renard pauses before answering me. “The announcement will be made shortly.”

That is when I realized.

The decision has already been made.

The vote is just for show.

A ruse.

I didn’t speak as they addressed the remaining issues.

I still had shares. Influence over small decisions but not enough to sit in my father’s seat. Not enough to lead.

As the meeting began to wrap up, Ms. Renard comes over to where I'm sited.

“We respect what your father built, Lila. Truly. But leadership requires strength. We can't allow someone who is emotionally driven to lead, a weak human.”

I looked up, meeting her gaze head-on. She never liked me so why bother hiding it now?

But calling me weak? That's out of line even for her.

Across the table, Zio, who had been silent until now, spoke with a waning in his voice.

“That’s enough, Renard.”

She looked away, not bothering to hide her smile.

Jackson kept on looking at me keenly before he cleared his throat, moving on like it never happened.

I felt the walls closing in on me. I felt suffocated My father’s legacy was being stripped away and I could not do anything about it.

I won’t break. Not in front of them.

I pushed my chair back and stood, steadying myself.

“If you’ll excuse me.”

My heels echoed sharply on the marble floor as I left. In the elevator, I stared at my reflection, my jaws tight.

Ths air outside slapped me awake. I walked quickly toward my car, not wanting to stay a second longer in this place but before I could open the door, a voice called out.

“Miss Lila.”

I turned. Mr. Ellias stood in the shadow of the building his is coat rumpled, his hair was rough due to the wind.

“Detective,” I said with a polite nod.

“I need to talk to you.”

I tensed. I hadn’t seen him since the day they came to the house, asking questions for the investigation.

"If this is about the case—”

“It’s about your father,” he cut in.

My pulse increased, I looked at him, my eyebrows slightly raised

"We found this in his car.” he said, reaching into his coat pocket.