Chapter 23: The Board Votes

Linnea's POV

The boardroom on the thirty-first floor of the Roswell Grand had a table for twenty and a view of the whole city.

Nine board members sat around it in dark suits.

I sat at Tobias's right hand in the navy cardigan, with my pregnancy book in my bag.

Nobody had asked me to come.

Tobias had said I could, and I had said I would.

"Before we begin," the oldest director said, clearing his throat, "I would like to say a word about Conrad."

"Please," said Tobias.

"He built this table. He'd want us to do the next hour well."

Tobias nodded.

The double doors opened.

Philippa walked in.

She wore a cream suit and pearl earrings, both back in place, and her black bob was sleek.

She had decided, I saw, to arrive as the woman she had been.

"Good morning," she said. "I'm still on this board until you vote me off. Shall we?"

Nobody answered.

Tobias stood.

"Philippa Roswell. The motion before the board is your removal as a director and as an officer of the group."

He didn't raise his voice.

"The grounds are in the documents in front of you."

"They include the consent form forged in the name of Linnea Marsden."

"They include the payments you made to Gavin Ludlow for three years."

A man at the far end shuffled the pages and didn't look up.

"Discussion?" Tobias said.

Nobody spoke.

"I'll say something," said Philippa.

She pulled out a chair at the end of the table and sat.

"I'd like it noted that every person at this table has known for six years what my father's clause said," she said.

"Every one of you voted for it. Not one of you asked how I felt."

A woman in gray looked at her hands.

"I did the wrong thing," Philippa said. "I did it badly, and I did it to a stranger."

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