Chapter 7 - THE GIRL EVERYONE HATED BECAME THE WITNESS EVERYONE NEEDEDThe boardroom was silent.
Amber stood at the head of the table.
Executives who had once praised her now avoided her eyes.
One director spoke.
“You are twenty years old.”
“I know.”
“You have no experience running a company.”
“I know.”
“Then you should resign.”
Amber nodded.
“I would.”
She placed another document on the table.
“But I have something you don't.”
The director frowned.
“What?”
“The truth.”
She opened the file.
“These are the original production contracts.”
Another file.
“These are the real factory invoices.”
Another.
“These are the offshore transfers.”
Finally, she placed the trust documents on the table.
“And this is the money my mother hid under my name.”
The room erupted.
Amber raised her voice.
“I'm not taking it.”
Silence returned.
“I want the trust dissolved.”
A director shook his head.
“You can't do that.”
“I can.”
“And the company?”
Amber looked toward the window.
“The company will be restructured.”
“What about the Vance name?”
Amber paused.
Then said,
“It doesn't belong on the new company.”
The director stared.
“You're removing your family's name?”
“Yes.”
“What will you call it?”
Amber looked down at the documents.
Then at Natalie, who was sitting quietly at the back of the room.
“Carter & Vance.”
Natalie looked stunned.
Amber continued.
“The company will acknowledge Daniel Carter as the original creator of the Aurora designs.”
“And my mother?”
“Her ownership will be terminated pending legal proceedings.”
“And you?”
Amber smiled sadly.
“I'll work for the company.”
The board members stared at her.
“You'd work for Natalie?”
Amber nodded.
“If she'll have me.”
Natalie stood.
“I'll have you.”
The decision changed everything.
News outlets began covering the story.
But Natalie refused interviews.
She didn't want fame.
She wanted her father's name restored.
Soon, the university invited her to speak.
Hundreds of students filled the auditorium.
Natalie stood at the podium.
“I used to think being invisible was protection.”
The audience listened.
“But sometimes being invisible only gives people permission to tell your story for you.”
She looked toward Amber.
“I was humiliated because someone thought my clothes made me less valuable.”
She smiled.
“They were wrong.”
The crowd applauded.
Then Amber walked onto the stage.
For a second, nobody knew what to expect.
Amber took the microphone.
“I spent years believing that wealth made me better than other people.”
Her voice shook.
“It didn't.”
She looked at Natalie.
“It made me afraid of losing everything.”
Then she faced the audience.
“I was cruel because I was insecure.”
Nobody spoke.
“I don't expect forgiveness.”
She looked at Natalie.
“But I hope I can earn trust.”
Natalie nodded.
It wasn't forgiveness.
Not yet.
But it was a beginning.
Weeks passed.
The investigation expanded.
Former employees came forward.
Factory workers testified.
Customers demanded refunds.
Several executives resigned.
Victoria Vance was formally charged.
And then Daniel Carter received a letter.
It was from the National Design Council.
They had reviewed his original patents.
They wanted to recognize him for lifetime achievement.
Daniel stared at the letter.
“I don't deserve this.”
Natalie smiled.
“You do.”
He shook his head.
“I lost twenty years.”
Natalie sat beside him.
“You still have tomorrow.”
He looked at her.
And for the first time in decades, Daniel smiled.
But Victoria wasn't finished.
Her trial was approaching.
And she had one final card to play.
May you like
A secret involving Daniel.
A secret that could destroy Natalie's credibility and possibly bring the entire case crashing down.
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