Chapter 9 - The Boardroom WarAt 8:42 the next morning, every board member of Cross Global was seated around the long glass conference table.
No one looked comfortable.
Outside, financial news networks were already reporting rumors of a liquidity problem at the company.
Inside, Julian Cross stood at the head of the table like a man preparing for war.
Norah sat to his right.
Owen sat to his left.
Adrian was not officially present.
Instead, he occupied a secure room four floors below with Marcus Hale and Cross Global’s cybersecurity team.
Julian had told the board only what they needed to know.
Someone had attempted to steal eight hundred million dollars.
Someone had framed the COO.
And someone in that room might have helped them.
That last part made everyone suddenly interested in their coffee.
Board chairman Gregory Holt cleared his throat.
“Julian, these are extraordinary allegations.”
“So is theft.”
“We have no proof a board member is involved.”
“Not yet.”
Gregory frowned.
“And Miss Quinn remains under investigation.”
Norah spoke before Julian could.
“Then investigate me.”
Several people looked surprised.
She placed her phone, company badge, and laptop on the table.
“Every message. Every email. Every financial transaction. Every piece of access history. You have my permission.”
Julian’s jaw tightened.
He did not like her making herself vulnerable.
Norah continued.
“But while you investigate me, you investigate everyone.”
Silence.
“Executives. Board members. Vendors. Consultants.”
Her eyes moved around the table.
“Former consultants.”
A woman near the far end shifted.
Margaret Vale.
Board member for eleven years.
Close friend of the Lauron family.
Norah noticed.
So did Owen.
Gregory leaned back.
“You’re making a serious implication.”
“I’m making no implication.”
Norah smiled politely.
“I’m asking for equal standards.”
Julian looked at her with unmistakable pride.
Her phone vibrated.
Message from Adrian.
KEEP MARGARET TALKING.
Norah did not react visibly.
Interesting.
Gregory turned toward Julian.
“The board also needs to discuss whether your personal relationship with Ms. Quinn has compromised your judgment.”
Julian’s expression became deadly calm.
Norah touched his wrist beneath the table.
Her turn.
“Excellent,” she said.
Gregory looked surprised.
“Excuse me?”
“Discuss it.”
Julian turned toward her.
She ignored him.
“You believe I was promoted because of my relationship with Julian?”
“No one said that.”
“The Financial Ledger did.”
“That was journalism.”
“Based on unnamed sources inside this company.”
No one answered.
Norah stood.
“I joined Cross Global as an executive assistant. Eight months later, I identified a reporting discrepancy that saved the company twelve million dollars in projected tax exposure.”
She looked around the table.
“I negotiated the Morrison exclusivity clause. I restructured East Coast operations. Under my leadership, operating costs fell six percent without layoffs while productivity increased eleven percent.”
Margaret’s mouth tightened.
“I didn’t sleep my way into those numbers.”
Julian inhaled sharply.
Owen almost choked on his coffee.
Norah continued before anyone could interrupt.
“And if any person in this room believes otherwise, say it while looking at me.”
No one did.
Not one.
Norah sat again.
Julian leaned closer.
“That was terrifying.”
“Good.”
“I’m very attracted to you right now.”
“This is not the time.”
“It feels like the time.”
Owen whispered from the other side, “I can hear both of you.”
Norah’s phone vibrated again.
Adrian.
FOUND CONNECTION. NEED 3 MINUTES.
Gregory continued discussing governance rules.
Norah barely heard him.
She watched Margaret.
The older woman checked her phone twice.
Nervous.
At 8:51, Julian received a message.
He read it.
Then looked at Norah.
They had something.
Julian stood.
“Margaret.”
She looked up.
“Yes?”
“When did you last speak to Isabelle Lauron?”
Her face remained impressively controlled.
“Months ago.”
Julian nodded.
“So not yesterday?”
“No.”
“Not at 4:17 yesterday afternoon?”
Margaret’s face changed slightly.
“Julian, I speak to many—”
He pressed a button.
A recording played through the conference speakers.
Margaret’s voice.
“We need the transfer completed before the emergency board session. Once Cross is removed, Gregory can authorize temporary leadership.”
Then Isabelle.
“And Quinn?”
“She takes the blame.”
The room exploded.
Gregory stood.
“What the hell is this?”
Margaret’s face went white.
Julian remained completely still.
“Sit down.”
It was only two words.
Everyone obeyed.
Margaret did not.
“This recording is illegal.”
“No,” Owen said pleasantly. “New York is a one-party consent state, and the other person on that call apparently recorded you.”
Margaret stared.
“Who?”
The conference room doors opened.
Adrian entered.
Beside him was a woman.
Elena.
Norah’s breath caught.
She looked exhausted.
Nothing like the poised woman from the photograph.
Her eyes were red.
Her hands trembled.
Margaret took one step backward.
“Elena.”
There it was.
Recognition.
Julian’s expression hardened.
Elena looked at him for the first time.
Then at Norah.
“I’m sorry.”
Norah said nothing.
Not yet.
Elena placed a phone on the table.
“Isabelle contacted me seven months ago.”
Julian’s jaw clenched.
“She knew about my mother. She knew who I was. She told me Julian had known about me for years.”
Julian looked shocked.
“I didn’t.”
“I know that now.”
Elena swallowed.
“She told me you deliberately kept me away from Cross Global because you didn’t want another heir.”
Adrian moved closer to her.
Not touching.
Just there.
“She offered to help me expose the family.”
Margaret interrupted.
“You stupid girl.”
Julian’s eyes moved to Margaret.
That was a mistake.
A large one.
Elena looked at her.
“They were going to blame everything on me too.”
Margaret’s expression cracked.
“What did you expect?”
“Enough,” Julian said.
Security officers entered.
Margaret looked around the table.
“You can’t do this.”
“I can.”
“You don’t know who I know.”
“I don’t care.”
“This company will collapse without board support.”
Julian smiled.
It was not a pleasant smile.
“Then I’ll rebuild it.”
Security escorted Margaret out.
Gregory sank into his chair.
No one spoke.
Norah checked the time.
8:56.
“The transfer.”
Adrian looked at his phone.
“Still processing.”
“Can you stop it?”
“We blocked the receiving institution, but the authorization chain is still active.”
Julian looked toward Gregory.
“Emergency revocation.”
Gregory nodded immediately.
“You have it.”
“Need full board approval.”
Hands began rising.
Every single one.
Adrian entered commands into his tablet.
8:58.
Norah’s pulse hammered.
“Come on.”
8:59.
Adrian did not breathe.
Then his screen changed.
TRANSFER REJECTED.
He exhaled.
“Stopped.”
For three seconds, silence.
Then Owen dropped his forehead against the table.
“I need a vacation.”
Leo’s voice suddenly came through the conference-room intercom.
“I heard that. I’m coming.”
Owen looked at the ceiling.
“Why does he have access to the intercom?”
No one knew.
No one wanted to know.
Julian turned toward Elena.
The room quieted.
She stood alone beside the door.
“I know saying sorry doesn’t fix it.”
Norah looked at her.
“No.”
Elena nodded.
“I could have destroyed your career.”
“Yes.”
“I thought you were part of it.”
“Part of what?”
“The Cross family.”
Norah almost laughed.
“Believe me, that family is complicated.”
Adrian coughed.
Julian ignored him.
Elena wiped at her eyes.
“I hated you because you were everything I thought I should have been.”
Norah stood and walked toward her.
Elena looked nervous.
Good.
She should.
“You stole my credentials.”
“Yes.”
“Copied my fingerprint.”
“Yes.”
“Dressed like me.”
“Yes.”
“Photographed me sleeping?”
Elena immediately shook her head.
“No.”
Everyone froze.
Norah’s skin went cold.
“What?”
“That wasn’t me.”
Julian moved forward.
“Then who took it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Elena.”
“I swear.”
Adrian stepped beside her.
“She told me the same thing downstairs. I checked her devices. The photograph wasn’t there.”
Norah looked at Julian.
This was not over.
Isabelle had used Elena.
Margaret had helped.
But someone else had watched Norah sleep.
Someone else remained inside the plan.
Julian’s phone rang.
Owen looked at the number.
“International.”
Julian answered on speaker.
Isabelle’s voice filled the boardroom.
“Well done.”
Julian’s face became stone.
“Where are you?”
“Far enough away.”
“You’re finished.”
“Am I?”
“You attempted theft, market manipulation, corporate espionage—”
“And yet you still haven’t figured out the interesting part.”
Norah stepped closer to the phone.
“What interesting part?”
Isabelle laughed softly.
“Oh, Norah. Still standing beside him.”
“Yes.”
“For now.”
Julian’s hand curled into a fist.
“Don’t threaten her.”
“I’m not threatening anyone.”
A pause.
“I’m warning you.”
Norah’s heart accelerated.
“About what?”
“Ask Julian why your apartment was so easy to photograph.”
Silence.
Julian frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“Your security team searched your apartment this morning, didn’t they?”
“Yes.”
“And found nothing.”
“Yes.”
“Because they were looking for a camera.”
Isabelle sounded almost amused.
“They should have been looking for a person.”
The call disconnected.
Norah stared at Julian.
“A person?”
Owen was already calling security.
Norah’s phone vibrated.
A message appeared from Mrs. Chen, her elderly neighbor.
Norah almost ignored it.
Then she read the words.
NORAH, SWEETHEART, DID YOU GIVE YOUR COUSIN A KEY TO YOUR APARTMENT? SHE WAS THERE THIS MORNING.
Norah’s blood turned to ice.
May you like
She had no cousin in Manhattan.
And according to Mrs. Chen’s next message, the woman was still inside.
