“Not you, Charles. Not anyone in this room. I did. ”
Charles stood up.
“This is ridiculous. You don’t know what you’re talking about. ”
“I know exactly what I’m talking about. ” She pulled the papers from her bag.
Placed them on the table. “Every contract. Every decision. It was all built on my work.
My inheritance. I’ve been holding the keys to this kingdom the whole time. ”
The executives exchanged glances. Charles’s face twisted.
“You can’t do this. ”
“I already have. ” She turned to face him. “The company transfers to me.
The shares, the assets—everything. It’s mine now. ”
He didn’t respond. He couldn’t.
Desiree looked around the room. “You’ve all been complicit in his lies. But the truth is out now. ”
She walked to the door.
Paused. “I’ve played the long game. And now you see what happens when you underestimate me. ”
She left without looking back.
The sun was setting. She sat in the back of the SUV, watching the city lights flicker on. The papers in her lap felt light. The weight of the last few months had lifted.
She thought of her grandmother. Of the night she signed the documents. Of the fear she had felt then. She didn’t feel fear now.
She felt free. The car pulled away from the building. She didn’t look back.