Chapter 162
Marcus’s POV
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Marcus reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick folder, setting it on the table with enough force that several board members jumped.
“You want to talk about deception and poor judgment? Let’s talk about the woman who’s been systematically sabotaging this company for years while pretending to have its best interests at heart.”
Penelope’s smile didn’t waver but Marcus saw something flicker in her eyes. Uncertainty, maybe. Or calculation.
“Marcus, really,” she said with exaggerated patience. “This is becoming embarrassing. You’re grasping at straws to deflect from your own failures.”
“Am I?” Marcus opened the folder and pulled out the first document. “This is a signed confession from Gerald, our former senior financial analyst. He admits to being paid by you to alter quarterly reports and create the discrepancies you just showed this board.”
He slid the document across the table to Morrison who picked it up and began reading, his expression darkening with each line.
“Gerald was approached by Penelope six months ago,” Marcus continued. “She offered him five hundred thousand dollars plus a guaranteed position as CFO once I was removed. All he had to do was make me look incompetent or fraudulent by doctoring financial data.”
Victoria Rodriguez frowned. “That’s a serious allegation. Do you have proof beyond this supposed confession?”
Marcus pulled out another stack of papers. “Bank statements showing payments from one of Penelope’s offshore accounts to Gerald’s personal account. Emails between them discussing timing and strategy. Security footage of them meeting in her office multiple times over the past six months.”
He distributed copies around the table and watched as board members began examining the evidence. The mood in the room was shifting, confusion replacing the earlier certainty.
“This could be fabricated,” Penelope said, but her voice had lost some of its confidence. “Anyone can doctor bank statements and emails.”
“Which is why I had everything verified by an independent forensic accountant. Her full report is included in your folders. She traced every payment, authenticated every email header, and confirmed that the financial manipulation originated from Penelope’s accounts.”
Morrison set down the document he’d been reading and looked at Penelope with narrowed eyes. “Is this true? Did you pay someone to sabotage your own stepson’s company?”
“Of course not. This is clearly a desperate attempt by Marcus to…”
“There’s more,” Marcus interrupted. He pulled out another set of documents. “Luca Vance, who’s been working with Penelope to blackmail my wife. He’s provided testimony detailing how Penelope recruited him
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to extort money from Elara by threatening to reveal the contract marriage.”
He could see Penelope’s jaw tighten, could see her hands clench slightly on the table.
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“Luca admits that Penelope gave him inside information about our marriage, provided him with copies of documents he shouldn’t have had access to, and promised him a cut of whatever money he could extract from us. He’s prepared to testify to all of this under oath.”
“This is ridiculous,” Penelope said, standing up. “You’re building an entire conspiracy theory based on the word of criminals and disgruntled employees who clearly have axes to grind. None of this would hold up in any legitimate investigation.”
“You’re right about one thing,” Marcus said. “Which is why I’ve already turned all of this over to the SEC and the district attorney’s office. They’ve opened formal investigations into your financial activities and your role in corporate sabotage.”
The room went completely silent. Even the board members who’d seemed sympathetic to Penelope were now looking at her with suspicion and concern.
Morrison cleared his throat. “Mrs. Thorne, these are extremely serious allegations. If even half of what Marcus is saying is true-”
“It’s all lies designed to destroy my reputation and remove me from the board. Can’t you see what he’s doing? He’s been caught in multiple scandals, his leadership is in question, and now he’s trying to make me the villain to save himself.”
“Then explain the bank statements,” Marcus said calmly. “Explain the emails. Explain why Gerald would confess to crimes that could send him to prison unless he was telling the truth.”
“He’s lying to get immunity or a reduced sentence. People lie all the time when they’re facing criminal charges.”
“What about the security footage of you meeting with him repeatedly in your office?”
“We had legitimate business discussions. He was a senior analyst, of course I met with him.”
Marcus pulled out his phone and pulled up a video file. “This is from one of those meetings. The audio is crystal clear.”
He pressed play and Penelope’s voice filled the room through the phone’s speaker.
“I need the quarterly reports altered before the investor meeting. Make it look like revenue is down and expenses are up. Make it look like Marcus is either hiding losses or doesn’t know what’s happening in his own company.”
Gerald’s voice responded. “And you’re sure this won’t be traced back to me?”
“I’m sure. Use his login credentials like we discussed. Everything will point to him.”
Marcus stopped the recording and looked around the table at the shocked faces. “Still think it’s all fabricated?”
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Penelope’s face had gone white. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out.
“There’s security cameras in your office?” Victoria asked.
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“There are security cameras throughout the executive floor,” Marcus said. “Installed by my father years ago for exactly this kind of situation. Penelope apparently forgot about them.”
Morrison stood up, his expression grave. “Mrs. Thorne, I think you need to step out of this meeting while we discuss these allegations.”
“I will not be dismissed from my own company’s board meeting based on lies and—”
The boardroom doors opened and Dante walked in accompanied by two police officers and a woman Marcus didn’t recognize carrying what looked like a laptop and several evidence bags.
The entire room turned to stare.
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Dante said, though he didn’t look sorry at all. “But there’s been a development that this board needs to see before any votes are taken.”
Morrison looked between Dante and the police officers with obvious confusion. “Mr. Williams, what’s going
on?”
“My name is Detective Sarah Mitchell,” the woman with the laptop said, stepping forward and showing her badge. “I’m with the NYPD Cold Case Unit. We’ve recently reopened an investigation into a hit-and-run that occurred fifteen years ago, and we have new evidence that pertains directly to someone in this room.”
Penelope had gone from white to gray. She gripped the edge of the table like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
“What does a fifteen-year-old hit-and-run have to do with this meeting?” Victoria asked.
Detective Mitchell opened her laptop and connected it to the boardroom’s presentation screen. “Everything. Because the victim of that hit-and-run was Marcus Thorne’s mother, Catherine Thorne. And we now have traffic camera footage showing exactly who was driving the car that killed her.”
Marcus felt his heart pounding in his chest as the detective pulled up the video file. This was it. The moment he’d been waiting for since Dante had first shown him the evidence.
The screen filled with grainy black-and-white footage of a Manhattan intersection at night. The timestamp in the corner read June 15, 2010, 10:47 PM.
“This footage was recently recovered from archived city files,” Detective Mitchell explained. “It shows the intersection of Park Avenue and 73rd Street approximately two minutes before Catherine Thorne was struck and killed.”
The video played and Marcus watched a black Mercedes sedan drive through the intersection, clearly visible despite the poor quality. The car’s license plate was partially obscured but the detective zoomed in and enhanced the image until the letters were readable.
“The license plate belongs to a vehicle registered to Penelope Morrison,” Detective Mitchell said. “Maiden
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name of Penelope Thorne, who is sitting at this table.”
Every head in the room turned to look at Penelope.
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“And this,” Detective Mitchell continued, pulling up another video file, “is traffic camera footage from three blocks away, eighteen minutes later.”
This footage showed the same Mercedes driving at high speed away from the area. Even in the grainy video, Marcus could see damage to the front bumper.
“Witnesses reported seeing a black Mercedes flee the scene after striking Catherine Thorne,” Detective Mitchell said. “This is that car. And Penelope Morrison is the registered owner.”
Penelope finally found her voice. “That doesn’t prove I was driving. The car could have been stolen, or borrowed, or-”
“We also have body shop records showing you paid cash to have this vehicle’s front bumper replaced two days after the accident,” Detective Mitchell interrupted. “Along with witness testimony placing you in the driver’s seat.”
The detective looked directly at Penelope. “Mrs. Thorne, I need you to come with us. You’re being arrested for vehicular manslaughter in the death of Catherine Thorne.”
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17:03 Mon, May 11
