He lunged toward me, but I stepped back, my hand instinctively protecting my stomach.

The door opened wider, and Andrew stepped into the room, his eyes dark with anger.

“Get away from her, Julian,” Andrew said, his voice dangerously low.

Two security guards stepped in behind Andrew, blocking the exit.

Julian took a step back, trying to regain his composure.

“This is a private meeting, Andrew,” Julian said, smoothing his jacket. “She was just about to sign her confession.”

“I heard everything, Julian,” Andrew said, holding up his phone, which showed an active audio stream. “And so did the entire board.”

Julian’s face drained of color.

“You have no proof,” Julian stammered. “An audio recording from a hidden mic won’t hold up in court. It’s unauthorized.”

“It will hold up in the court of public opinion,” Andrew said.

He pointed toward the hallway, where the faint sound of the ballroom’s sound system could be heard echoing up the stairs.

Suddenly, Julian’s phone began to ring loudly.

He looked down at the screen.

It was the chairman of the board.