Chapter 222: What’s happened?

THIRD PERSON’S POV.

Thirty minutes had long since passed.

The boardroom remained eerily silent as the lawyers finished tallying the final votes.

Sarah sat stiffly in her chair, her eyes darting toward the closed doors every few seconds.

Still no Serena.

At the opposite end of the table, Horace sat with barely concealed satisfaction.

Spencer gathered the final documents before slowly rising to his feet.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, clearing his throat, “after nearly a year of assessing, observing, and carefully monitoring every move made by both heirs, we have finally reached a decision.”

The room fell completely silent.

“Although I must add that the revelations and events of today have had a significant impact on our final assessment.”

He glanced down at the document in his hands before looking back up.

“Since Miss Serena Gregory did not appear before this board to present her final case, we have reached our conclusion.”

He took a slow breath.

“It is therefore my duty to announce that in the succession race for the position of Chief Executive Officer of Gregory Enterprise, the candidate who has emerged victorious is—”

“Excuse me.”

Clara slowly rose to her feet.

“With all due respect, Mr. Spencer, I’d like to make an announcement before you declare the winner.”

Spencer looked at her for a brief moment before nodding.

“You may proceed.”

Clara turned toward Sarah as well and Sarah met her gaze. After a long moment, she gave a small nod of approval and Clara took a deep breath.

“For a long time, I intentionally tried to steal my sister’s inheritance.”

A ripple of murmurs spread through the room.

“I convinced myself that if I won and got everything she had then somehow the emptiness I’d carried with me all my life would somehow disappear.”

She smiled sadly. “I thought defeating Serena would finally make me feel whole.”

Her eyes swept across the room. “But a few months ago, I realized something.”

She paused. “I realized that stealing, conniving, manipulating and plotting wasn’t the person I wanted to be.”

She swallowed. “And fighting Serena isn’t something I want to do anymore either.”

A brief silence settled over the room.

“At the end of the day… she’s my sister. My only sister.”

She straightened her shoulders.  “And for that reason as well as several other personal reasons I choose not to share with this board…”

“I, Clara Gregory, am officially withdrawing my name from the succession race.”

Horace shot to his feet immediately her words landed. “Shut the hell up, Clara!”

His voice thundered through the boardroom.He turned sharply toward Spencer.

“Ignore everything she just said and make the declaration. Right now.”

Spencer remained seated. “I can’t stop Miss Gregory from speaking, Mr. Gregory.”

“I said announce the winner!” Horace yelled.

“Sit down, Horace.” Sarah’s voice cut cleanly through the tension. “The only people who have the right to speak at this moment are the lawyers… and the heirs.”

She looked toward Clara. “And Clara is currently speaking.”

Horace rounded on her. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

Then he pointed toward Clara. “She is my daughter. And she will do exactly what I tell her to do.”

He faced Spencer again. “So I’m telling you to ignore this ridiculous stunt and announce the winner.”

“No, Father.” Clara’s voice remained calm. “My decision is final and there is no taking it back.”

She held his furious gaze. “And unlike before, You’re not going to threaten me into changing my mind.”

Horace’s face darkened. “I promise you, Clara…” His voice dropped into a dangerous whisper. “You’re going to regret whatever it is you think you’re doing.”

Clara looked at him without flinching.

“I regret a lot of things, father.” She nodded slowly.

“And I’ve regretted many decisions I’ve made in my life But I can assure you…”

A faint smile appeared on her lips. “This will never be one of them.”

“What exactly is the meaning of this?”Pa Benedict slowly rose from his chair, his expression stern.

“Clara, regardless of your disagreements with your father, you do not speak to him like this in the presence of the board. What will everyone here think of you and your upbringing ?”

Clara let out a dry laugh. “Oh, please. Save me the righteous act, Benedict.”

The room went still. Several board members gasped.

Even Sarah’s eyes widened.

Horace himself looked momentarily caught off guard.

Clara simply turned back toward Spencer.

“I’ve said everything I came here to say Mr Spencer and madam CEO So if you’ll excuse me…”

She picked up her handbag and walked toward the door.

But the moment she pulled it open, Trisha barged into the room.

“Sarah!”

Trisha screamed rushing further inside, breathing so heavily she could barely stand upright.

“Trisha?” Sarah immediately frowned. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been trying to call you.”

Sarah instinctively looked at her phone.

“I’m sorry… I left it on silent because of the meeting.” She looked back up.

“What’s wrong?”

Trisha opened her mouth but nothing came out.

She swallowed hard, fighting to steady her breathing.

Sarah’s heart began to pound. “Trisha, what happened?”

Trisha looked around the room before her eyes returned to Sarah.

“It’s Serena…”

Sarah felt her stomach drop. “What about Serena?”

Tears welled in Trisha’s eyes. “Serena has been kidnapped.”

The room erupted.

Sarah stumbled backward, one trembling hand gripping the edge of the table, the other holding her stomach.

Clara’s handbag slipped from her fingers.

Several board members shot to their feet at once.

Questions flew across the room.

“What?”

“Kidnapped?”

“When?”

“How?”

Spencer slowly lowered the documents in his hands.

The announcement he’d been about to make no longer seemed important.

Across the table, Horace’s expression froze for the briefest fraction of a second.

His eyes instinctively found his ally’s. Something wasn’t right.

How had they found out this quickly?

Beside him, Pa Benedict tightened his grip on his walking stick, though his face remained composed.

This wasn’t part of the plan.