One director said:
“Is this documented?”
“Yes.”
“Authenticated?”
“Preliminarily.”
“Independent review ongoing.”
Charles leaned back.
“Then perhaps we should avoid transforming family guilt into corporate fact.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“Agreed.”
“That’s why the investigation is external.”
She clicked the display.
The current Aster connector appeared.
Then Daniel’s twenty-year-old drawing.
“The vehicle’s recurring failure was intentionally engineered using a defect Daniel documented two decades ago.”
Charles looked toward Marcus.
Marcus said:
“The physical correlation is strong.”
“Supplier records show the current part was ordered to those specifications through an internal authorization.”
Another slide.
Cyber logs.
Charlotte continued.
“Prototype data was then copied from our network.”
Charles’s face hardened.
“And you believe I did this.”
“I said nothing of the kind.”
“You showed my account.”
“Your credential was used.”
“My account was compromised.”
“Possible.”
“Then why are we sitting through this?”
Evan spoke for the first time.
“Because the person who did this knew about Daniel’s old work.”
Charles looked at him.
“You are a mechanic.”
“Yes.”
“And you are addressing the board of a multibillion-dollar company as if—”
“As if I can read a drawing?”
Evan’s voice stayed calm.
“I can.”
Charles’s jaw tightened.
Charlotte intervened.
“Evan is here because Daniel’s private materials establish provenance for the old design.”
“Nothing more.”
Charles turned to Charlotte.
“You are emotionally compromised.”
The exact phrase from the source story arrived, but this time it carried weight.
Charlotte nodded.
“Yes.”
Several directors looked surprised.
Charles did too.
Charlotte continued.
“That is why I did not conduct the investigation myself.”
“The audit committee did.”
“External counsel did.”
“Independent digital forensics did.”
She slid a document toward him.
“And they found this.”
Charles did not touch it.
Natalie explained.
The executive-assistant account linked to Charles’s office had uploaded encrypted archives to a cloud repository controlled through a consulting entity called Meridian Technical Strategies.
The entity’s beneficial ownership connected to Arthur Vale.
A retired technology broker.
Former business partner of Thomas Hail.
Marcus looked physically ill.
“My father’s partner.”
“Yes,” Charlotte said.
Charles stood.
“This is absurd.”
Natalie said:
“Please remain seated.”
“You have no authority to detain me.”
“No one is detaining you.”
Charles reached for his phone.
Natalie continued.
“But the board has issued a litigation hold, and company-owned devices in your possession must be preserved.”
“My phone is personal.”
“Then counsel will distinguish personal and company data through proper process.”
Charles laughed.
“You people have lost perspective.”
He looked around the table.
“You’re letting a mechanic and a dead disgraced engineer destabilize this company.”
Evan’s expression did not change.
Charlotte’s did.
“Daniel Carter is no longer described that way in this building.”
Charles stared at her.
“You cannot rewrite history because you feel guilty.”
“No.”
Charlotte stood.
“But I can correct a false corporate record when evidence proves it false.”
Charles looked toward the board.
“Are you all going to allow this?”
Catherine Bell, chair of the audit committee, spoke.
“No.”
Charles looked relieved.
Then she continued.
“We are going to vote.”
The board voted eleven to one to place Charles Wexler on immediate administrative leave from the chairmanship pending completion of the independent investigation.
Charles voted against.
No dramatic handcuffs.
No security tackle.