Chapter 164
Marcus’s POV
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The boardroom descended into chaos the moment the officers led Penelope away in handcuffs. Board members were talking over each other, some demanding explanations, others already on their phones calling lawyers or their own security teams.
Marcus remained standing at his end of the table, watching it all with a strange sense of detachment.
He’d imagined this moment so many times over the past few days. The vindication, the victory, the satisfaction of watching Penelope finally face consequences for everything she’d done.
But now that it was happening, all he felt was empty. His mother was still dead. His newborn son was still fighting for his life at the hospital and he was stuck in this boardroom dealing with the fallout of a fifteen- year-old crime.
“Order!” Morrison finally shouted, slamming his hand on the table. “Everyone sit down and shut up for five minutes so we can figure out what the hell just happened.”
The room gradually went quiet. People returned to their seats, though the murmuring continued in hushed
tones.
Morrison looked at Marcus with an expression that was part shock, part grudging respect. “You’ve known about this for how long?”
“About my mother? Less than a week. Dante uncovered the evidence during his investigation into Penelope’s financial activities.”
“And you waited until now to bring it to the police?”
“I wanted her arrested here, in front of all of you, so there would be no question about what she did. No opportunity for her to spin the narrative or claim she was being framed.” Marcus pulled out his phone and saw several missed calls from the hospital, but he forced himself to focus on finishing this first.
“Penelope has been manipulating this company and this family for fifteen years. She murdered my mother and then married my father to gain access to his money and his shares. Everything she’s done since then has been part of a calculated plan to take control of Thorne Dynamics.”
Victoria Rodriguez spoke up, her voice shaky. “The financial sabotage, the altered reports, all of that was real?”
“All of it. I have documentation of every payment she made, every person she corrupted, every lie she told to the SEC and to this board. Dante can provide you with complete files on everything.”
Dante, who’d been standing quietly by the door, stepped forward and placed several thick folders on the table. “Full accounting of Penelope’s offshore accounts, communications with Gerald and others she paid to sabotage the company, and testimony from multiple witnesses about her schemes. Everything is documented and verified.”
One of the older board members, a man named Thomas who’d known Marcus’s grandfather, cleared his throat. “What about the contract marriage? The evidence Penelope presented about you and your wife?”
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Chapter 164
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Marcus had known this question was coming but it still made his stomach clench. “The contract was real Elara and I did enter into an agreement that started as a business arrangement. But what Penelope failed to mention is that we fell in love and built a real marriage. The pregnancy wasn’t planned but we’ve been genuinely committed to each other and to building a family.”
“That’s not exactly an answer,” Victoria said. “Did you or did you not marry this woman specifically to satisfy your grandfather’s will requirements?”
“Initially, yes. I needed to be married by my thirtieth birthday and Elara needed money for her mother’s medical treatment. We made an arrangement that benefited us both. But that contract is irrelevant now because our marriage is real in every way that matters.”
“The board might disagree about what matters,” Morrison said carefully. “Gaming the inheritance system by entering into a fake marriage is exactly the kind of thing your grandfather’s will was designed to prevent.”
“My grandfather wanted me to be settled and committed to building a family. That’s exactly what I’ve done. The fact that it started unconventionally doesn’t change the end result.”
Thomas leaned back in his chair, studying Marcus with shrewd eyes. “Your wife just gave birth and you’re here instead of at the hospital. That doesn’t exactly scream commitment to family.”
“My wife insisted I come. She knew how important today was and she knew that if I didn’t face Penelope now, we’d never be free of her schemes. I’m here because my family’s future depends on Thorne Dynamics remaining strong and stable, and that can’t happen with Penelope trying to destroy it from the inside.”
Morrison stood up and walked to the window, his back to the room. “This is a mess. The biggest mess I’ve seen in thirty years of corporate law. Our former board member just got arrested for murder. Our CEO is admitting to a contract marriage that may invalidate his inheritance. We have financial fraud, corporate sabotage, and enough scandal to tank our stock price for months.”
“Which is why we need to act quickly and decisively,” Marcus said. “Penelope still holds fifteen percent of company shares through my father’s estate. She still has voting rights and access to confidential information. That needs to end immediately.”
“You want us to strip her of her shares while she’s being arrested?” Victoria looked skeptical. “That’s going to invite lawsuits.”
“Let her sue. She’ll be doing it from prison.” Marcus opened one of the folders Dante had provided and pulled out a document. “Under the terms of the company bylaws, any board member convicted of a felony automatically forfeits their position and their voting rights. Vehicular manslaughter is a felony. Once Penelope is convicted, she loses everything anyway. I’m just asking you to accelerate that timeline.”
“She hasn’t been convicted yet,” Thomas pointed out. “She’s only been arrested.”
“Then we vote to suspend her pending the outcome of the trial. Either way, she cannot be allowed to continue influencing this company’s direction.”
Morrison turned back to face the room. “He’s right. Regardless of how we feel about the contract marriage situation, we can all agree that having a murder suspect on our board is untenable. I move that we immediately suspend Penelope Thorne from all board positions and freeze her voting rights pending the outcome of her criminal trial.”
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Chapter 164
“Seconded.” Thomas said immediately.
“All in favor?”
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Every hand in the room went up. Even Victoria, who’d been sympathetic to Penelope an hour ago, raised her hand without hesitation.
“Motion passes unanimously,” Morrison said. “Penelope Thorne is hereby suspended from the board of Thorne Dynamics effective immediately. Dante, make sure our legal team files the necessary paperwork today.”
“Already drafted,” Dante said. “I’ll have it filed within the hour.”
Morrison sat back down and looked at Marcus. “Now what about you? The contract marriage is still an issue we need to address.”
“I understand that. And I’m prepared to answer any questions the board has about my eligibility to serve as CEO. But I’d like to request that we table that discussion until after my children are stable. One of them is currently on a ventilator and may need emergency surgery. I need to be at the hospital.”
There was a long pause. Marcus could see the board members exchanging glances, having silent conversations about what to do.
Finally Thomas spoke up. “I knew your grandfather very well. Worked with him for over forty years. And I can tell you with certainty that what he wanted more than anything was for this company to stay in family hands and be run by someone who understood its values and its mission.”
Thomas stood up and walked over to Marcus, extending his hand. “You just brought down a woman who murdered your mother and tried to destroy everything your family built. You did it with evidence and strategy instead of revenge. That takes integrity and strength. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve more than proven you’re capable of running this company.”
Marcus shook his hand, feeling something loosen in his chest.
“I agree,” Morrison said. “The contract marriage is concerning but it’s not disqualifying. If anything, the fact that you turned an arrangement into a real partnership shows adaptability and commitment. I vote we table any discussion of Marcus’s position until the current crisis is resolved.”
More nods around the table. Even Victoria looked like she was reluctantly agreeing.
“Then it’s settled,” Morrison said. “Marcus retains his position as CEO. We’ll reconvene in two weeks to discuss next steps and address the fallout from today. In the meantime, Marcus, go be with your family. We’ll handle things here.”
Marcus felt his phone buzzing in his pocket again. He pulled it out and saw it was the hospital calling for the third time.
His blood ran cold.
“I have to take this,” he said, already heading for the door.
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Chapter 164
He answered as he stepped into the hallway. “This is Marcus Thorne.”
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“Mr. Thorne, this is Dr. Harrison from the NICU. We need you to come to the hospital immediately. There’s been a development with Baby B.”
Marcus’s heart stopped. “What kind of development?”
“His oxygen levels have dropped significantly and we’re prepping him for emergency surgery. Your wife is being brought to the NICU now but we need your consent to proceed. How soon can you get here?”
“Twenty minutes. I’m leaving right now.”
Marcus ended the call and found Dante already at his elbow with his briefcase and coat.
“Go,” Dante said. “I’ll handle everything here.”
His phone rang again as he reached the parking garage.
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17:03 Mon, May 11 M…
