He wore a charcoal suit and the blue tie I had bought him for our tenth anniversary. His expression was composed, almost bored.
Then he saw me.
For less than one second, his face changed.
It was enough.
Surprise. Anger. Calculation.
Then the mask returned.
“Lauren,” he said smoothly. “This is unexpected.”
I sat beside Abigail. “I’ve had an unexpected day.”
A few board members glanced between us.
Victor smiled with practiced concern. “I’m afraid my wife is going through a difficult personal transition. I hope this meeting won’t become uncomfortable for everyone.”
There it was. The careful positioning. Poor Lauren. Emotional Lauren. Confused Lauren.
Russell’s voice cut through the room.
“Ms. Bellamy is here at my invitation.”
Victor’s jaw tightened.
“Of course,” he said. “Though I’m unclear what relevance she has to a Meridian Harbor transaction.”
“So were we,” Russell replied. “Until last night.”
Abigail distributed packets. The room filled with the soft whisper of paper sliding across polished wood.
Victor’s attorney, a narrow man named Grant Ellison, leaned forward. “Chairman Kane, I must object to any last-minute attempt to introduce personal marital disputes into a corporate proceeding.”
“This is not a marital dispute,” Abigail said. “It is a question of title, authority, and potential fraud.”
The word fraud changed the air.
Victor laughed lightly. “That is an irresponsible accusation.”
“No accusation has been made,” Russell said. “A question has been raised.”
I opened my packet. The forged signature stared up at me.
Russell looked at me. “Ms. Bellamy, do you recognize the signature on page twelve?”
My throat tightened, but my voice came out clear.
“It is meant to be mine. It is not mine.”
Victor leaned toward his camera. “Lauren, be very careful.”
For years, that tone would have stopped me.
This time, I looked directly at the screen.
“I am being careful. That’s new for both of us.”
A silence followed.
One of the board members, a woman with silver-rimmed glasses, compared the page with a copy of my signature from that morning. “The formation is materially different.”