Chapter 13 - THE BOARDROOM MASSACRE
The top floor of Vance Tower was buzzing with intense anxiety.
The twelve board members sat around the grand glass conference table.
Victoria Vance sat at the head of the table.
She wore a dark dress, her face hidden behind heavy makeup to mask the exhaustion.
Julian sat to her right, his neck covered by a high collar to hide the dark burn marks left by the taser.
His face was deadly pale.
"We have the majority vote," Victoria announced, her voice trembling slightly.
"We sell fifty percent of the manufacturing division to the Asian consortium today."
"We clear the legal debts, and we restructuring the executive team."
"And what about the girls?" one board member asked nervously.
"Seraphina Vance is being handled by law enforcement as we speak," Julian said smoothly, lying through his teeth.
"And Isabella is currently resting at a private medical facility."
"She has suffered a complete emotional breakdown."
"Is that so?" a sharp, cold voice cut through the room.
The heavy oak doors of the boardroom swung open.
Isabella walked in.
She was wearing the sharp grey suit.
Her hair was pulled back tightly.
Her eyes were cold, distant, and filled with absolute malice.
To everyone in that room—including Victoria and Julian—she was Seraphina.
Victoria gasped, dropping her pen onto the table.
Julian stood up so fast his chair scraped violently against the floor.
"You..." Julian stammered, his hand flying to his collar.
"How... how are you here?!"
"Did you really think your cheap mercenaries could keep me locked in a basement, Julian?" Isabella said, stepping into the room with complete authority.
She walked straight to the center of the table and threw a black folder onto the glass.
"That folder contains the wire transfer records Julian used to hire those men last night."
"It also contains the full bank records of Victoria's offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands."
The board members immediately rushed to grab the papers, scanning them with wide eyes.
"This is madness!" Victoria screamed, standing up.
"Security! Arrest this woman!"
"Touch me, and the SEC releases those files to the federal prosecutor in five minutes," Isabella threatened in a low, terrifying voice.
Julian stared at her, his throat completely dry.
"You... you monster..." Julian whispered.
Suddenly, the boardroom doors swung open a second time.
Seraphina walked into the room.
She was wearing the brilliant red silk dress.
Her hair was styled in soft, expensive curls.
She moved with absolute, haughty grace, looking down her nose at every person in the room.
To everyone present, she was Isabella.
"Mother!" Seraphina cried out in Isabella's exact high-pitched, dramatic tone.
"Julian tried to kill me!"
The boardroom erupted into total, unadulterated chaos.
Board members screamed out in confusion.
"There are two of them!"
"What is happening?!"
"Is that Isabella?!"
Seraphina ran toward the board members, acting terrified and hysterical.
"Julian pulled a gun on me in the warehouse!" Seraphina cried, grabbing the arm of the oldest board member.
"He said Mother ordered him to eliminate us both so he could take the entire company!"
Victoria looked at the woman in red, then at the woman in grey.
Her brain completely short-circuited.
"Isabella?!" Victoria called out, her voice cracking.
"Which one... which one of you is Isabella?!"
Isabella (dressed as Seraphina) laughed bitterly.
"Does it even matter to you, Victoria?"
"You never cared about either of us!"
"You used me as an organ donor, and you used her as a trophy!"
Seraphina (dressed as Isabella) stepped right beside Isabella (dressed as Seraphina).
They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the board.
The resemblance was absolute.
The illusion was complete.
"Members of the board," Seraphina said, dropping her fake frantic tone and switching back to her true, commanding voice.
"Victoria Vance and Julian Vance have committed treason against this company."
"They have committed human rights violations, fraud, and attempted murder."
Isabella raised her hand, showing her private controller unit.
"We hold a combined 60 percent of the total voting shares."
"And as of this second..."
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"You are both stripped of your positions."
"And removed from the Vance family entirely."
