Chapter 91: Must Be True
The people in the room turned in Sarah’s direction. “The first thing I want to inform the members of the board is that Vera is being investigated for the crimes of hiring a hitman to murder someone, conspiracy to murder, threatening bodily harm, and various other white-collar crimes by the police. If you want to check if it is true, I have the detective's information with me for your use.” She waited for someone to ask.
“What nonsense… there is no such thing!” Wendy banged on the desk.
“I don’t speak without proof. I came here right after my interview. And the person who threatened to kill me if I didn’t give away my identity as Phillip Stone’s daughter already admitted that he was put up to it by his client. He had his attorney notes to back up his claim.”
Sarah pointed to the large screen in the room and Marcus Mendez’ handwriting flashed on the screen.
“What did you give Mendez to make him frame my mother?” Wendy hissed.
Sarah shrugged. “The police will investigate the authenticity of his claims. But the meeting is about Vera and how she has duped the shareholders for the longest time.”
“Sarah, a young girl like you should still know that one is innocent until proven guilty. You can’t use a public forum to ruin my reputation.”
Sarah nodded. “You are absolutely correct. Which is why, I am only worried about proving that you have no right to the shares you currently own.” She waved her hand for the host to change the picture. “This is the will my father, Phillip Stone notarized before his death. It clearly states that my mother and I will inherit everything he owns on his demise.”
Vera sat straight in her seat, but the tension in her form was evident to everyone. Vera realized that Marcus had betrayed her fully. He must have thought he could get away with threatening someone if he made a deal with the cops.
“Is this fake will the reason why you are claiming that my daughter is not related to the Stone?”
Sarah shook her head. “I have no intention of dragging Wendy and her inheritance through the mud. But she is not biologically related to any of the Stones. And even if we follow the laws of inheritance, a child shared through marriage receives property upon the parent's death. But a spouse who killed their husband and had an affair that resulted in a child? I am not so sure about that.”
The words were scathing. The people in the room didn’t know what to believe. First of all, none of them had known Phillip Stone had another daughter who was clearly older than Wendy. They knew the dirty secrets every rich family hid, but this was murder!
“How can we be sure that you are Phillip’s daughter?” someone asked.
Sarah looked at the balding old man and nodded in understanding. “I anticipated that response, hence I performed a DNA test with my uncle. You can see the results yourself.”
Some people who were still on Vera’s side protested. “This could be a false report to fool us!”
Sarah smirked the kind that informed everyone that the other person was reaching for straws. “I can perform more DNA tests until you satisfy your curiosity. At an establishment that you trust in and choose,” she retorted.
William felt a surge of pride. The people in the room were transfixed by her. He suddenly remembered the girl who disliked being the center of attention. But for the sake of justice, she was putting on the show of a lifetime.
The balding old man was promptly silenced. The others were more entertained and worried. On one hand, they worried about the company that was facing internal disputes. The founding family was now infighting and questioning lineage. On the other hand, birth secrets and affairs were the most entertaining things on the planet! That was why they were popular tropes in television shows.
“But you have shown no proof that Wendy Stone is not the biological daughter of Uncle Phillip,” William commented, seeing that the meeting would take a turn for the worse if things were not set on track.
Sarah glanced at him with a hint of irritation. “Ah, how could I forget? I have run DNA tests of Miss Stone with multiple living Stone family members. The results showed that she is in no way connected to them,” she said confidently.
The reports were shown on the screen. Everyone gasped.
“It must be true!”
“Stop it! You might be my half-sister but that doesn’t mean you can take my father away from me!” Wendy screamed, her composure gone.
Sarah looked at her, eyes filled with pity. “It’s alright. I had my father snatched from me. At least your biological father is still alive,” she commented.
“Who is the biological father?” someone questioned.
Sarah smiled. “That is none of your concern. That is a private issue that has no stake in the distribution of shares.”
Vera had long stopped speaking. As all her bad deeds came to light in front of the people she wanted to impress and keep under her feet the most, she felt lost. The only thing she could do was sit with the same dignity so that no one could look down on her.
“I don’t accept these results. I never gave my DNA sample to be tested. These results have no value!”
Sarah walked over to Wendy and patted her shoulder. “Don’t get so distraught. Sit down and take a deep breath,” she said in a soothing voice.
Wendy shrugged her hand away. “I hate you.”
“I understand,” Sarah whispered. “Your DNA sample was taken from the hairbrush you use at work and the saliva sample from your coffee mugs.”
“That is not legal! This proof is inadmissible!” Wendy protested.
Sarah chuckled. “This is not a court of law. Proof is proof… no matter how I obtain it. Moreover, it shows that I am right.”
Her statement sent chills down everyone’s spine. If this girl came into a position of power within the company, anyone she disliked would be rooted out, never to be seen in the business world again.
Otherwise, why would Vera be facing such serious charges after decades of the crime happening? It was clearly this formidable girl who had dug everything up.