The boardroom felt like a tomb where the dead refused to be buried. In the aftermath of Julian's threat, the remaining board members moved like sleepwalkers, their loyalty shifting to Sterling with the desperate speed of rats abandoning a sinking ship.
Augusta Vance's voice cut through the stunned murmurs. "Given these... extraordinary circumstances, I move for an emergency vote of absolute confidence in CEO Sterling Prescott and the immediate suspension of Arthur Prescott pending investigation."
The vote was swift and brutal. Hands rose one by one until only Arthur sat with his arms at his sides, a dethroned king watching his execution. He stood slowly, moving like a man made of broken glass, and left without a word. The old era died with his footsteps fading down the marble corridor.
