“You think you’ve won, Alexander?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Without Crane Capital, this company is nothing but an empty shell.”

“You’ll be bankrupt by the end of the month.”

Alexander walked over to her, stopping a foot away.

“I would rather own an empty shell than a lie, Victoria,” he said.

She stared at him, her lips pressed into a very thin line.

Then she looked at me, her gaze filled with quiet contempt.

“A secretary,” she muttered.

“You ruined everything for a secretary.”

“Clara did what was right,” Alexander said.

“Something you never understood.”

The officer nudged Victoria forward, and she vanished into the elevator lobby.

The heavy metal doors slid shut with a soft, final chime.

The boardroom became completely silent again.

The only remaining sound was the rain tapping against the glass.

Detective Harris tipped his hat to us.

“We’ll need your formal statements tomorrow morning,” he said.

“Get some rest, Mr. Vale. Ms. Bennett.”

“Thank you, Harris,” Alexander said.

The detective walked out, leaving the double doors open behind him.

I stood by the table, my hands resting on my laptop.