The sun rose over the city skyline, pouring bright morning light into the top-floor corporate boardroom of Vance Enterprises[cite: 1].
Dominic Vance sat at the head of the massive mahogany table, twirling a gold pen between his fingers[cite: 1].
Ten wealthy board members sat around him, murmuring nervously as security guards stood near the double doors[cite: 1].
Dominic: "Gentlemen, ladies, let's bring this emergency meeting to order."[cite: 1]
Board Member 1: "Dominic, Julian is the CEO! We cannot vote on executive power without him present!"[cite: 1]
Dominic: "My brother is emotionally unfit to lead! Last night at his own gala, he allowed a catastrophic security breach!"[cite: 1]
Board Member 2: "We heard his son was nearly crushed!"[cite: 1]
Dominic: "Exactly! Julian’s negligence endangered the sole heir to the Vance fortune. Under clause nine of the family trust, that constitutes mental incompetence!"[cite: 1]
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors burst open with a loud thud[cite: 1].
Julian walked in wearing a immaculate dark tuxedo suit, flanked by Maya in a crisp black suit and Noah holding his father's hand[cite: 1].
Julian: "The only incompetence in this building is sitting in my chair!"[cite: 1]
Dominic stood up slowly, a cold smirk spreading across his face[cite: 1].
Dominic: "Ah, Julian. You brought your maid to a billionaire board meeting? How embarrassing."[cite: 1]
Julian: "She is not a maid, Dominic. She is my head security advisor and my son’s legal guardian."[cite: 1]
Dominic: "Guardianship? You're giving estate authority to a hired servant?!"[cite: 1]
Maya: "I have more authority to be here than a murderer, Mr. Vance."[cite: 1]
The entire boardroom erupted into shocked whispers[cite: 1].
Board Member 1: "Murderer?! What is the meaning of this?!"[cite: 1]
Dominic: "She's insane! Guards, throw this woman out of the building!"[cite: 1]
Julian: "Nobody moves!"[cite: 1]
Julian pulled a black flash drive from his pocket and tossed it onto the center of the mahogany table[cite: 1].
Julian: "On this drive is the 4K security footage from the foyer last night."[cite: 1]
Dominic: "The foyer cameras were turned off for maintenance! I checked!"[cite: 1]
Dominic caught himself mid-sentence, his eyes widening as he realized what he had just admitted[cite: 1].
Maya: "Thank you for confirming you checked the security schedules before pushing the glass tower, Dominic."[cite: 1]
Dominic: "You... you tricked me!"[cite: 1]
Julian: "The primary cameras were off, yes. But the pinhole camera inside the USA flag frame in the foyer was recording everything."[cite: 1]
Maya pressed play on the central display screen, showing high-definition footage of Dominic deliberately shoving the champagne structure toward Noah before dropping his locket[cite: 1].
Board Member 2: "My God... he tried to kill the child!"[cite: 1]
Dominic: "That footage is fabricated! It’s an AI deepfake!"[cite: 1]
Maya: "Then how do you explain the blood sample we found on the broken glass, matching your DNA from the pocket watch?"[cite: 1]
Dominic stepped back, his back hitting the glass window overlooking the city[cite: 1].