Chapter 7 - The Snake in the Boardroom
For the next four days, the compound in Queens became our world.
Dr. Vance worked round-the-clock in a state-of-the-art medical suite built deep within Dante’s compound. She flushed Sterling’s toxins out of our systems and prepared the first synthesized dosage of our father’s cure.
The treatment began on Thursday morning. It didn't hurt. It felt like a warm, tingling wave spreading down from my lower back all the way to the tips of my toes—a sensation I hadn't felt since I was seven years old.
Meanwhile, outside our fortress, New York was tearing itself apart.
Every news channel on the television in our room was screaming the same headline:
BILLIONAIRE CELESTE VOSS AND TWIN DAUGHTERS MISSING AFTER MANHATTAN MANSION EXPLOSION.
On screen, Dr. Harrison Sterling was standing in front of the charred ruins of our Greenwich estate, wearing a black suit and looking visibly grief-stricken for the cameras.
“This is a dark day for Voss Biotech,” Sterling said into a dozen news microphones. “We suspect that rival criminal elements—specifically linked to organized crime figure Dante Moretti—were involved in this horrific act of terror. As Chief Scientific Officer, I am stepping in as interim CEO to ensure the company remains stable during this tragedy.”
Mom slammed the television remote onto the table, turning the screen black.
“He’s seizing full control,” Mom said, pacing across the room. Her hair was pulled back, her eyes sharp and dangerous. “The board meets on Monday morning at the Waldorf Astoria to confirm his appointment as permanent CEO and authorize the sale of our core patents to a foreign consortium.”
“He won't make it to Monday,” Dante said, stepping into the room. He handed Mom a secure tablet.
Mom looked down at the screen. Her eyes widened. “What is this?”
“Julian’s journal wasn't just a diary, Celeste,” Dante explained. “Ivy unlocked the encrypted secondary files using the serial code on her cylinder last night.”
I smiled slightly from my bed.
“Dad recorded every single meeting he had with Sterling,” I said. “Audio logs, financial ledgers, wire transfers showing Sterling taking illegal kickbacks from foreign syndicates to suppress Dad’s research. It’s all here.”
Mom looked at me, a mixture of awe and profound pride washing over her face. She walked over to my bed, kneeling down and taking my hand.
“Ivy... you did this?”
“Dad did it,” I corrected her softly. “He knew Sterling would try to steal the company. He left us the evidence so we could take it back.”
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Dante walked over to the window, looking out at the rainy compound.
“Monday’s shareholder meeting isn't going to be a corporate coronation,” Dante said, his voice dropping into a lethal whisper. “It’s going to be an execution.”
