Then she touched her stomach.
I noticed Garrett look down.
Just for a second.
Pride.
Possession.
They thought they had won.
That was useful.
The next morning, our supposed deaths triggered estate procedures.
Exactly as Tobias predicted.
Penelope contacted our company attorney.
Fast.
Too fast.
She asked about temporary voting rights.
The attorney refused.
She asked whether emergency authority could be granted because the board vote was imminent.
Again, refused.
Then Garrett contacted him.
He claimed I had verbally supported the restructuring before my death.
That was a lie.
Luckily, I had written objections.
The board postponed the vote.
Victor Vale appeared two days later.
I had not seen him in years.
He was seventy-one.
Tall.
Silver hair.
Perfect suits.
Garrett’s father.
He came to the shipyard.
Security footage showed him entering the executive conference room.
Samuel had remote access.
We watched.
Victor sat across from Penelope.
Garrett stood beside the window.
Victor looked angry.
“You were supposed to have signatures before this.”
Garrett said, “She kept delaying.”
Victor’s face hardened.
“That was your job.”
“I handled it.”
“No.”
“You created a body problem without securing control.”
My skin crawled.
A body problem.
That was me.
