Chapter 19:The Board

Julian's POV

The boardroom felt colder than Julian remembered.

Maybe it was the room.

Maybe it was the eleven people sitting around the long table, all looking at him with the same serious expression.

They were studying him.

Waiting.

Judging every word he said.

Julian stood near the end of the table, holding the folder containing the evidence he had gathered.

He refused the chair Diane Foster had offered him.

Diane was the chairwoman of the board.

Her silver hair was neatly arranged, and her hands rested calmly on the table.

She looked completely prepared.

“Julian,” she said. “We appreciate you coming so quickly.”

“I understand.”

“This is a sensitive matter.”

“It is.”

Julian looked around the room.

Every board member was watching him.

Some looked concerned.

Others looked doubtful.

A few seemed impatient.

Julian knew what they were thinking.

They believed he might be protecting Zoe because he trusted her too much.

Or because he had become emotionally involved in the situation.

They didn't know what he knew.

They didn't know about Marcus.

They didn't know about the letter.

They didn't know about Vantage Holdings.

And they certainly didn't know what Marcus might have been planning for the gala.

Julian placed his folder on the table.

“That is exactly why I want to address this directly,” he said.

Diane nodded.

“Please.”

Julian remained standing.

“I understand that several documents were sent to the board this morning accusing Zoe Hart of passing company information to a competitor.”

One of the men across the table leaned forward.

“More than accusations.”

His voice was firm.

“We have financial transfers.”

Another board member added, “And photographs of internal documents on her personal device.”

Julian looked at them.

“Fabricated.”

The room became quiet.

The first man frowned.

“That's a serious statement.”

“I know.”

“You're saying the evidence was created?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have proof?”

Julian opened his folder.

“I'm about to show you.”

He removed a printed copy of the letter.

It was not perfect.

The photograph had been taken quickly in the security office, so the printed version was slightly less clear than the original.

But the words could still be read.

Julian slid it across the table.

“This was found in the private files of Marcus Webb.”

Several people looked at each other.

Diane picked up the paper.

“Marcus?”

“My head of security.”

“We know who he is.”

“I know.”

Julian watched as Diane began reading.

Her expression changed slowly.

The letter passed to the person sitting beside her.

Then to the next person.

One by one, the board members read it.

The room became completely silent.

Julian waited.

Finally, Diane looked up.

“This is from Vantage Holdings.”

“Yes.”

“And it is dated eighteen months ago.”

“Yes.”

“Why is this important?”

Julian took a slow breath.

“My father died eighteen months ago.”

Several people shifted in their seats.

“My father died of what we were told was a heart attack.”

Julian looked down at the letter.

“This letter talks about information Marcus gave Vantage Holdings concerning my father's final months.”

Diane's eyes narrowed.

“Final months?”

“Yes.”

Julian's voice remained calm, even though he could feel something painful building inside him.

“It says the information was valuable.”

He paused.

“It talks about moving forward with an arrangement.”

One board member shook his head.

“Are you suggesting that Marcus knew something about your father's death?”

Julian looked directly at him.

“I don't know.”

The honest answer felt difficult to say.

“But I know this letter raises serious questions.”

Diane placed the paper on the table.

“Julian, this is a very serious matter.”

“I know.”

“You're suggesting that your head of security may have been working with a competitor.”

“He was being paid by them.”

That caught everyone's attention.

Diane looked at him.

“Paid?”

Julian opened another document.

“Over the last eighteen months, money has been transferred from a company connected to Vantage Holdings into Marcus Webb's personal account.”

“How much?”

“Nearly three million dollars.”

A few people exchanged surprised looks.

“Three million?”

“Yes.”

“And you have proof?”

“Yes.”

Julian pushed the financial records across the table.

“This is what Arthur found.”

Diane picked them up.

She began reading.

The room remained quiet.

Julian continued.

“There is more.”

He took another paper from the folder.

“On the night we investigated Marcus's office, the security cameras on that floor were disabled.”

“By Marcus?”

“We don't have direct proof yet.”

“But you believe he did it.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he was responsible for security.”

Julian paused.

“And because he knew someone had been inside the office.”

One of the board members leaned back.

“This is difficult to believe.”

“I understand.”

Julian looked at him.

“But I would rather believe something difficult and investigate it than ignore it because it makes us uncomfortable.”

Diane looked at the papers again.

“What about the gala?”

Julian's expression hardened.

“That is another problem.”

He explained that Marcus had personally approved a separate private security company for the upcoming charity gala.

Six weeks earlier.

A company Blackwood Industries had never used before.

The board members listened carefully.

“He arranged this himself?” Diane asked.

“Yes.”

“And the gala is in three weeks?”

“Yes.”

“Why would he do that?”

“That is what I want to find out.”

A long silence followed.

Julian could hear his own heartbeat.

He knew he had given them a lot to think about.

But he also knew what they were still missing.

The accusation against Zoe.

One board member picked up the documents sent that morning.

“What about Ms. Hart?”

Julian looked at him.

“These documents say she sent internal information to a competitor.”

“She didn't.”

“How can you be certain?”

“Because I know her.”

The board member raised an eyebrow.

“That isn't evidence.”

“No.”

Julian remained calm.

“But neither are anonymous accusations.”

The man said nothing.

Julian continued.

“Zoe found the first evidence against Marcus.”

He explained how she had discovered the flash drive.

How she had noticed unusual activity.

How she had kept notes.

How she had warned him before the fire.

“She has been trying to protect this company,” Julian said.

Another board member looked at him.

“Or she has been gathering information because she was working for someone else.”

Julian's expression became hard.

“If that were true, why would she nearly die saving one of our employees from a fire?”

The room went quiet.

“She had every chance to leave,” he continued. “Instead, she went back into the building.”

Nobody answered.

Julian looked around the table.

“She has done nothing to suggest that she is working against us.”

Diane folded her hands.

“Julian, let's assume for a moment that you're correct.”

Julian waited.

“What do you want this board to do?”

“I want time.”

“How much?”

“Enough to finish the investigation.”

A board member shook his head.

“You're asking us to ignore evidence against your employee.”

“No.”

Julian's voice remained steady.

“I'm asking you not to make a final decision based on evidence that may have been planted.”

Diane watched him carefully.

“And if you're wrong about Marcus?”

Julian didn't hesitate.

“Then I'll be the first person to admit it.”

“And if you're right?”

“Then we need to know before someone gets hurt.”

That sentence changed the room.

Julian could see it.

The board members were no longer simply thinking about Zoe.

They were thinking about Marcus.

About the gala.

About the money.

About Julian's father.

Diane looked at the people sitting beside her.

They exchanged quiet looks.

Julian waited.

Finally, Diane spoke.

“Two weeks.”

Julian's expression remained still.

“You have two weeks to bring this board something conclusive.”

“Two weeks?”

“Yes.”

She looked around the room.

“During those two weeks, Ms. Hart remains employed.”

Julian nodded.

“But after that, this board will make its own decision.”

“About Zoe?”

“About Ms. Hart.”

Diane paused.

“And about you.”

Julian understood.

If he failed to prove what was happening, the board might question his judgment as CEO.

This was no longer only about protecting Zoe.

His position was also at risk.

Still, he nodded.

“Understood.”

Diane gathered the papers.

“Then we are done.”

Julian picked up his folder.

He had not won.

Not really.

He had only been given time.

Two weeks.

Fourteen days.

And Marcus had already had eighteen months.

As Julian walked out of the boardroom, the thought stayed with him.

Two weeks was not enough.

Not against someone who had spent so long preparing.

He entered the hallway.

The doors closed behind him.

For a moment, he simply stood there.

He breathed slowly.

Then his phone buzzed.

Julian pulled it from his pocket.

Unknown number.

No name.

No contact information.

Just a message.

He opened it.

Tell your housekeeper to be careful. Marcus isn't the only one watching her.

Julian stopped walking.

He read it again.

Then again.

His chest tightened.

Marcus isn't the only one watching her.

The hallway suddenly felt different.

Julian looked around.

People were walking past.

Employees were talking.

Phones were ringing.

Everything appeared normal.

But now he noticed every person who passed him.

A man near the elevator.

A woman carrying a folder.

Two employees talking quietly near the reception area.

Was one of them watching him?

Was someone watching Zoe?

Julian looked at the message again.

He tried calling the number.

It was unavailable.

He tried again.

Nothing.

He quickly sent a reply.

Who are you?

No response.

He waited.

Nothing.

Julian slipped the phone back into his pocket.

His mind was racing.

If the message was real, then Marcus wasn't the only person interested in Zoe.

That meant they had been looking at the wrong part of the problem.

Marcus might be one piece.

Vantage Holdings might be another.

But someone else was watching Zoe.

Someone who knew enough to warn Julian.

Someone who knew Marcus was dangerous.

The question was whether this person was an ally or another threat.

Julian turned toward the elevator.

His phone buzzed again.

He pulled it out immediately.

Another message.

This one was shorter.

Don't trust the gala security team.

Julian stared at the screen.

His blood ran cold.

The separate security company Marcus had hired.

The gala.

Three weeks.

The anonymous accusation against Zoe.

The letter about his father.

Everything suddenly felt connected.

Julian looked toward the elevator doors.

Then he looked down at his phone again.

Someone was watching.

Someone knew what Marcus was doing.

And someone had just warned him that the people Marcus had hired for the gala could not be trusted.

Julian's jaw tightened.

He needed to find Zoe.

Immediately.

But as he started walking down the hallway, one thought kept returning.

If Marcus wasn't the only one watching Zoe, then how many people were?

And more importantly

How long had they been watching her?