I could hear the shouting of reporters outside. My attorney gathered his papers into his leather briefcase.

“We should leave through the side exit,” he said.

“The press is going to be thick at the main doors.”

“I need to go to the corporate offices,” I said.

He stopped packing and looked at me.

“Avery, that’s a mistake.”

“The board is meeting,” I said.

“I need to be there when they take his name off the door.”

He sighed and closed his briefcase.

“Your doctor said you need to avoid stress.”

“My blood pressure is fine,” I lied.

My heart was beating like a trapped bird, but I had never felt more awake.

We walked down the private corridor behind the courtroom.

The air was cooler here, smelling of old paper and air conditioning.

We took the service elevator down to the basement garage.

The driver was waiting for us in the black SUV, the engine idling quietly.

The rain was coming down harder now, drumming against the concrete pillars of the garage.

I climbed into the back seat and pulled my phone out again. There was a new email from the board secretary.