At the end of the hall, the double doors of the boardroom were closed.

Through the frosted glass, I could see the shadows of twenty people sitting around the massive table.

I took a deep breath, adjusting my grip on Lily’s diaper bag.

Grace adjusted her glasses and stepped ahead of me.

“Let’s go,” Grace said.

We walked down the long corridor, our heels clicking on the polished limestone floor.

Two security guards stood outside the boardroom doors.

They looked at me, then at each other.

“The meeting is private, ma’am,” one of them said.

“Not anymore,” Grace said.

She reached out and pushed the heavy oak doors open.

The room went instantly silent.

Every face at the table turned toward us.

At the far end of the room, Margaret sat in her high-backed chair, her face pale.

Beside her, Adrian’s empty seat was conspicuous, his leather chair pushed back from the table.

I stood in the doorway, holding Lily close to my chest.

“Good morning, everyone,” I said.

My voice carried clearly across the silent room.

Before anyone could speak, a door on the opposite side of the boardroom clicked open.