Chapter 6: The Perp Walk
The silence in the Lumina Tech boardroom was absolute, save for the hum of the air conditioning and the ragged, shallow breathing of David Vance.
"You have absolutely no right to do this," Evelyn hissed, her voice trembling with a toxic mixture of rage and humiliation. She smoothed the front of her charcoal pantsuit, desperately trying to reclaim her shattered dignity. "This is a private corporation. I demand you leave."
Marcus Thorne simply smiled, a cold, predatory baring of teeth. He stepped aside, gesturing toward the two uniformed police officers. "Gentlemen, the Vances are trespassing. Please escort them off the premises."
"Don't touch me!" Evelyn snapped as an officer reached for her arm. "I can walk myself out of this godforsaken building!"
David, however, was frozen. The color had completely drained from his face, leaving him a sickly, pallid gray. The reality of the words attempted murder and criminal investigation was finally piercing through the thick fog of his mother's influence. As the second officer gripped his bicep, David's legs gave out, and he stumbled, barely caught by the cop.
"Mom..." David whimpered, his voice cracking. "Mom, what are we going to do?"
"Stand up straight, David," Evelyn barked, her eyes darting toward the silent, watching board members. "Say absolutely nothing. We are calling our attorneys the second we get to the car."
The journey from the penthouse to the ground floor was agonizing. The glass-walled elevator provided a clear view of the sprawling corporate campus Clara had built from scratch. As they descended, word of the boardroom coup spread like wildfire through the company's internal messaging systems.
By the time the elevator doors dinged open in the main lobby, a crowd of employees had gathered. Software engineers, marketing directors, and interns stood in stunned silence, holding coffee cups and tablets, watching as their CFO and his domineering mother were marched out by the police.
No one said a word, but the collective glare of a hundred loyal employees felt heavier than physical blows. Clara had been a demanding boss, but she was fair, brilliantly innovative, and deeply respected. David was merely the man who signed the checks.
As they were pushed through the revolving glass doors into the blinding California sun, camera shutters clicked. A local tech blog reporter, tipped off by someone inside, was already snapping photos of the infamous perp walk.
"No comment!" Evelyn shrieked, raising her designer handbag to shield her face. She shoved David toward their waiting black town car. "Get in! Get in right now!"
The heavy door slammed shut, sealing them in the plush, air-conditioned sanctuary of the backseat. David immediately buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
"Stop blubbering, you fool," Evelyn snapped, pulling her phone from her purse with shaking hands. Her perfectly manicured nails tapped furiously against the screen. "They don't have a smoking gun. A mechanic's theory and a hospital camera isn't enough to put us away. We hire the best defense team in the state, we claim Clara's injuries made her paranoid, and we counter-sue for wrongful termination."
David looked up, his eyes bloodshot and terrified. "She knows, Mom. Clara knows everything. We're going to prison."
Evelyn's hand lashed out, a sharp, stinging slap across David's cheek. The sound cracked through the quiet car.
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"Pull yourself together," she hissed, her eyes wide and unblinking. "The Vances do not go to prison. We will destroy her credibility before this ever reaches a courtroom. Drive!" she screamed at the terrified chauffeur.
As the car peeled out of the parking garage, Evelyn stared out the tinted window, her mind racing. Clara had won the battle, but Evelyn was fully prepared to burn the entire war to the ground.
