“We need to stop that vote,” I said.

“A family scandal of this magnitude would destroy our stock price before noon,” she said, her business instincts overriding her anger. “We cannot simply walk in with the police.”

“Then we fight them on their own ground,” I said.

Vivian stared at me for a long moment, as if measuring my resolve.

“The board meeting will be held in the main dining room,” she said. “The proxies have already been delivered.”

“Jason told me I wouldn’t make it to the morning,” I said, remembering his warm, sour breath against my ear.

“He won’t dare touch you while you are under my roof,” she said, though we both knew the Thornton estate was isolated, miles from the nearest town.

She picked up the burner phone and slipped it into her own pocket.

“Leave the medical files with me,” she said. “Go back to Ethan’s room. Act as though nothing has changed.”

“What are you going to do?” I asked.

“I am going to make some phone calls,” she said. “And you, Sarah, will need to be ready to speak tomorrow.”