Chapter 9 — The Blackwell Board Turns Against Them
The call ended.
But Emma Carter continued holding the phone against her ear.
She didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't even breathe normally.
Because one sentence had changed everything.
"Before I became your enemy... I was the person who saved your life."
The voice belonged to Victoria Blackwell.
The same woman who humiliated her parents.
The same woman who tried to destroy her reputation.
The same woman who stood at her wedding and looked at her family like they were worthless.
Yet thirty-two years ago...
That woman had apparently saved her.
Emma looked at the birth certificate sitting on the table.
The signature.
Victoria Blackwell.
Her mind was filled with questions.
Too many questions.
And the person who had the answers...
Was the woman she trusted the least.
The next morning, Emma arrived at Carter Foundation headquarters.
Daniel immediately noticed something was wrong.
"You didn't sleep."
Emma placed the birth certificate on his desk.
Daniel picked it up.
The moment he saw the signature...
His expression changed.
"No."
Emma looked at him.
"You recognize it?"
Daniel stayed silent.
"Daniel."
He slowly put the paper down.
"Yes."
Her eyes narrowed.
"How?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Because I saw this document years ago."
Emma froze.
"What?"
He looked away.
"Your father showed it to me."
The room became quiet.
"My father knew?"
Daniel nodded.
"He asked me to protect it."
Emma felt a sharp pain in her chest.
Another secret.
Another thing everyone knew except her.
"Why does everyone keep deciding what I can handle?"
Daniel looked at her.
"Because they love you."
Emma shook her head.
"Love without trust is still a prison."
Daniel had no answer.
Because she was right.
Meanwhile...
At Blackwell Holdings Tower...
The situation had reached a breaking point.
The emergency board meeting began at nine in the morning.
Every major shareholder was present.
Every executive was watching.
And sitting at the center of the table...
Was Adrian Blackwell.
The man who was supposed to inherit everything.
The man who once believed his position was guaranteed.
Now...
Everyone was questioning whether he deserved it.
A senior board member placed a folder on the table.
"Mr. Blackwell."
Adrian looked up.
"Yes?"
"The board has reviewed recent events."
Adrian remained silent.
"The ownership dispute."
"The public accusations."
"The instability among investors."
He paused.
"And your decision to publicly support statements that are now being questioned."
Adrian understood.
They weren't just discussing the company.
They were discussing him.
Victoria sat beside him.
Confident.
Unbothered.
She believed she could control the room.
She always had.
"Let's not forget," Victoria said calmly, "that this company survived because of strong leadership."
A board member looked at her.
"Strong leadership or hidden information?"
The room went silent.
Victoria's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But everyone noticed.
Another executive spoke.
"The Carter documents are legitimate."
Victoria turned sharply.
"You are accusing me?"
"No."
The executive replied.
"We are questioning decisions made decades ago."
Adrian looked around the room.
People who once feared his family were now challenging them.
Because power was changing.
And everyone could feel it.
Then the conference room doors opened.
Everyone turned.
Emma walked inside.
No assistant.
No hesitation.
No fear.
She wore a simple black suit.
Not a designer dress.
Not a symbol of wealth.
Just confidence.
The room became silent.
Adrian looked at her.
And for a second...
He remembered their first meeting.
The woman who didn't care about his name.
The woman who challenged him.
The woman who made him feel like a normal person.
Then he remembered the wedding.
And the silence that destroyed everything.
Victoria looked at her.
"You have some nerve coming here."
Emma didn't react.
"I came because this concerns me."
Victoria smiled.
"You think you own this company now?"
Emma looked around the room.
"No."
She paused.
"I think the truth owns this company."
A few board members exchanged looks.
Victoria laughed.
"You always did love dramatic speeches."
Emma walked to the table.
"I don't need speeches."
She placed a folder down.
"I have records."
Inside the folder were financial documents.
Transfer records.
Internal approvals.
Hidden accounts.
The room slowly changed.
Executives began reading.
One by one.
Their expressions became more serious.
Adrian picked up a document.
Then another.
His face turned pale.
"What is this?"
Emma looked at him.
"The reason Blackwell Holdings survived after your grandfather died."
Victoria's eyes hardened.
"Emma."
But Emma continued.
"After Thomas Blackwell's death, several original agreements were altered."
The room became silent.
"The ownership structure was changed."
A board member frowned.
"Are you saying..."
Emma looked at Victoria.
"I'm saying someone removed my family's rights."
Everyone understood.
The accusation.
Victoria stood.
"Enough."
Her voice finally cracked.
"This is ridiculous."
Emma turned toward her.
"No."
Her voice was calm.
"This is what happens when people spend too long believing nobody will question them."
Victoria stared at her.
"You think you are different?"
Emma held her gaze.
"I know I am."
Then the biggest shock came.
The chairman of the board stood.
"Mrs. Blackwell."
Victoria looked at him.
"Yes?"
He placed a document on the table.
"The board has voted."
Her expression changed.
"Voted on what?"
The chairman looked directly at Adrian.
"Temporary removal of executive authority."
Silence.
Adrian froze.
Victoria's eyes widened.
"You can't do this."
The chairman replied:
"We can."
A pause.
"And we have."
The world that Victoria built began collapsing in seconds.
The woman who controlled everyone...
Was suddenly being controlled.
She turned toward Adrian.
"This is because of you."
Adrian looked shocked.
"Me?"
"You brought this woman into our lives."
Emma watched silently.
Because even now...
Victoria couldn't accept responsibility.
It was always someone else's fault.
After the meeting...
Adrian followed Emma into the hallway.
"Emma."
She stopped.
"What?"
He looked desperate.
"I didn't know."
She turned.
"You didn't know a lot of things."
His face fell.
"I want to fix this."
Emma studied him.
"Can you?"
He didn't answer.
Because deep down...
He knew.
Some damage couldn't be repaired.
That evening...
Emma returned home.
On her desk was another envelope.
This time...
No mystery.
No anonymous sender.
The handwriting was familiar.
Victoria Blackwell.
Inside was a letter.
Only three sentences.
Emma read them slowly.
"You deserve the truth."
"Your father protected you from me."
"But he never told you what happened the night you were born."
Emma's hands tightened.
Because the final line was written underneath.
"I was not the woman who destroyed your family."
"I was the woman who stopped your family from destroying you."
Emma stared at the letter.
For the first time...
She didn't know who the enemy was.
And that frightened her more than any battle.
Because if Victoria was telling the truth...
May you like
Then everything Emma believed about her past...
Was another carefully hidden lie.
