“You can’t do this,” she said.

“I can,” Alexander said. “And I am.”

Arthur looked at the other board members.

They all nodded slowly.

“The evidence is clear, Victoria,” Arthur said. “The signature is yours. The paper trail is solid.”

“Arthur, we have been friends for thirty years,” Victoria said, her voice pleading now.

“And for thirty years, I believed you had the company’s best interests at heart,” Arthur said. “But this is a liability we cannot afford.”

He stood up.

“I vote to suspend Victoria Sterling from the board,” Arthur said.

“I second,” another member said.

“All in favor?” Arthur asked.

One by one, the board members raised their hands.

Victoria watched them, her face twisting in rage as the hands went up.

“You fools,” she spat, her voice trembling. “You are destroying everything I built.”

“You destroyed it yourself, Mother,” Alexander said.

The vote was unanimous.

“The motion carries,” Arthur said. “Victoria Sterling, you are suspended from the board, effective immediately. Your shares are frozen.”

Victoria stood frozen at the head of the table.

She looked at Alexander, her eyes filled with a pure, cold hatred.