Ryan folded forward in his chair and put his face in his hands.

Maya turned slowly around the table, searching the faces of the board members she had expected to have on her side, looking for a single ally.

Not one of them would meet her eyes.

Chapter 19 — The Verdict

Over the following six months, the legal system took their machine apart bolt by bolt.

Forensic accountants traced years of systematic wire fraud, tax evasion, forged corporate documents, and the elder abuse at the center of it all.

Investigators found Victor, the wood supplier, and under oath Victor filled in the last corner of the picture: Ryan had blackmailed him into staging those photographs three years ago.