Chapter 3 - The Ghost at the Boardroom Table
The mahogany boardroom of Vance Global Shipping was lit by the dim, elegant glow of crystal chandeliers. Outside, the rain beat a steady, hypnotic rhythm against the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Seattle harbor.
Victor Vance sat at the head of the long table, swirling a glass of twenty-year-old scotch. At sixty-five, his hair was stark white, his tailored suit immaculate, and his expression carved from stone. Around him sat the five remaining board members, murmuring nervously as Victor adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.
"As you know," Victor announced smoothly, his deep voice carrying effortless authority, "today marks the five-year legal statute of finalization for my late niece’s estate. With your unanimous vote tonight, Vance Global Shipping will officially absorb the remaining maritime subsidiaries into our primary trust."
He raised his pen, ready to sign the legal transfer documents resting on the polished wood.
*CLANG.*
The heavy double doors at the end of the boardroom burst open with a force that rattled the crystal light fixtures overhead.
The security guards stationed outside didn't move. They didn't even yell. They stood frozen in the hallway, staring in wide-eyed horror at the figure stepping into the room.
Victor froze, the pen slipping from his fingers and rolling across the mahogany table.
Elena walked down the center aisle. She wore a long, charcoal-gray wool coat over her damp dress, her heels clicking against the marble floor with a rhythmic, measured cadence that sounded like a slow drumbeat of execution.
"I'm afraid your quorum is incomplete, Uncle Victor," Elena said, her voice cutting through the silent room like a razor.
Victor staggered backward, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. His face turned the color of spoiled milk, his hands trembling so violently he had to grip the edge of the table to stay upright.
"No..." Victor choked out, his voice a shrill, panicked whisper. "No! You're dead! We put you in the ground! I saw the body pulled from the North Atlantic!"
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"You saw an empty casket filled with lead weights and a tailored dress," Elena replied, stopping five feet from the head of the table. She rested her palms flat on the wood, leaning forward until her face was inches from his terrified gaze. "And now, I've come back to collect my inheritance."
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