Chapter 15 - The Ghost ReturnsAdrian stood up so quickly that his heavy leather chair fell backward, crashing onto the carpet. “Turn that off!” he shouted, his mask of grief entirely shattered.
No one moved.
He pointed wildly toward the technology director at the side of the room. “This system has been compromised. Shut it down immediately. It's a deepfake, a fabrication!”
The technology director looked to Miriam Shaw. Miriam did not respond; she merely watched Adrian with eyes like flint.
The heavy oak doors of the boardroom opened.
I walked inside.
For several agonizing seconds, the room seemed unable to process the visual information it was receiving. It was as if a ghost had materialized in the center of their corporate sanctuary. Ruth Dalton raised a trembling hand to cover her mouth. Another director stood up so fast he gripped the back of his chair for balance. Celeste’s face completely emptied of color, leaving her looking like a wax statue.
Adrian stared at me. His lips moved, trying to form words, but no sound emerged from his throat.
My father stood up, his posture transforming instantly from a broken old man to the formidable titan who had built the empire.
I walked past him and continued toward the head of the table, my heels clicking methodically on the hardwood floor.
“Good morning,” I said. My voice was rough from the saltwater, but entirely steady. “I apologize for missing the beginning of my own succession meeting.”
Adrian’s terrified eyes moved over the stark purple bruises on my neck and arms, stark against the white fabric of my suit. “You’re... you’re alive.”
“You sound disappointed, Adrian.”
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“This is impossible.”
“I imagine that is exactly how attempted murder looks when it fails.”
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