Chapter 10 - The Boardroom Without CamrynAt 8:35 a.m., Camryn entered Vaughn Technologies headquarters.
Security tried to stop her.
Rachel stepped forward.
“She is the lawful trustee for Avery Vaughn.”
The guard looked uncomfortable.
“We were instructed that her voting authority is temporarily suspended.”
“By who?”
“Mr. Everett Vaughn.”
Camryn almost smiled.
“Exactly why we're going upstairs.”
They entered anyway.
The boardroom occupied the twenty-first floor.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Nashville.
Everett sat at the head of the table.
Seven directors surrounded him.
Representatives from Crestline appeared by video.
Lucille did not attend.
Camryn took Nolan’s old seat.
Everett stared.
“You don't have voting authority today.”
“We'll see.”
The corporate secretary looked nervous.
Rachel distributed copies of Section Twelve.
Everett laughed.
“A scan.”
“The original is temporarily unavailable.”
“Convenient.”
Camryn stared.
“Where is Gerald?”
Everett's expression remained still.
“I have no idea.”
“His car was abandoned.”
“Call police.”
“They're looking.”
Everett turned toward the board.
“This is exactly why today's vote needs to proceed. The family has become unstable.”
Camryn felt rage.
“You created the instability.”
“Personal accusations don't change the company’s obligations.”
Rachel introduced evidence of the guardianship filing.
Lucille's false claims.
The automatic freeze.
Everett's courthouse admission that he knew the filing affected the vote.
One independent director, Martin Shaw, frowned.
“Everett, did you know Lucille was planning the guardianship action?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“A week.”
“Did you know it would freeze Camryn’s vote?”
Everett hesitated.
“Yes.”
The room changed.
Another director asked:
“Did you advise Lucille to file?”
“No.”
Camryn remembered Avery's statement.
Make sure she can't vote.
She couldn't use Avery as a corporate witness casually.
But Yolanda had something else.
The kitchen camera captured part of Lucille and Everett's conversation.
Rachel played it.
Everett's voice:
“Not before the hearing.”
Then another enhanced portion technicians had recovered.
Lucille:
“What if Camryn figures out why?”
Everett:
“By then Hamilton has the shares.”
The board became silent.
Everett's composure weakened.
“Context.”
Camryn almost laughed.
“What context makes that innocent?”
He looked at her.
“You want to destroy Nolan's company because you're angry.”
“No.”
“I want to stop you from selling it to people Nolan believed were hiding dangerous product information.”
The Crestline representatives immediately objected.
Rachel displayed Nolan's files.
Incident reports.
Internal emails.
Payments.
The chair of Crestline disconnected from the call.
That alone said enough.
Then Rachel displayed the CBR Advisory transfers.
$4.7 million to Everett.
The room changed entirely.
Martin Shaw stared.
“Everett?”
He remained silent.
“Are these yours?”
“Consulting payments.”
“For what?”
“Strategic work.”
“For the company trying to buy ours?”
“I disclosed appropriate conflicts.”
The corporate secretary shook her head.
“No disclosure appears in board records.”
Everett turned.
“Check again.”
“I did.”
Camryn watched him.
The confident uncle was disappearing.
Then Everett smiled.
“None of this matters to today's vote.”
Rachel responded:
“It matters if Section Twelve is authentic.”
“Which you cannot prove.”
The doors opened.
Everyone turned.
Gerald Dempsey entered.
Alive.
Bruised.
Holding a red folder.
Everett went white.
Gerald walked directly to the table.
“Sorry I'm late.”
Camryn stood.
“What happened?”
“I'll explain.”
He placed the folder before the board.
“Original trust amendment.”
Everett stared.
“You don't know what you're doing.”
Gerald looked at him.
“I finally do.”
The corporate secretary reviewed the signatures.
Notarization.
Trust seal.
Authentic.
Section Twelve became enforceable.
Everett's proxy rights were suspended immediately pending fiduciary investigation.
The board vote could not proceed.
Everett stood.
“This is ridiculous.”
Martin Shaw responded:
“No.”
He looked at the evidence.
“This meeting is adjourned.”
Everett slammed one hand on the table.
“You think Nolan was protecting you?”
Camryn looked at him.
“He was protecting Avery.”
Everett laughed.
“From me?”
“Yes.”
“You still don't understand.”
“What?”
He pointed toward Gerald.
“Ask him why Nolan changed the trust nine days before he died.”
“We know why.”
“No.”
Everett smiled bitterly.
“The DNA test wasn't the only thing Nolan found.”
Gerald's face changed.
Camryn noticed.
“What else?”
Gerald looked down.
“Not here.”
Everett laughed again.
“Of course.”
Camryn stepped toward Gerald.
“What?”
Gerald's voice lowered.
“Nolan found an older trust.”
“How old?”
“Thirty-eight years.”
“Whose?”
“Nolan's father.”
Lucille's late husband.
William Vaughn.
Gerald looked toward Avery’s empty chair at the table.
“If that trust is still valid…”
He swallowed.
“…Avery may not own forty-three percent.”
Camryn stared.
“How much?”
Gerald answered:
“Fifty-one.”
The room went silent.
Avery wasn't just the largest shareholder.
At eight years old—
May you like
she could eventually control the company outright.
And suddenly Camryn understood why so many adults had become desperate to decide who controlled the child.
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