She had stayed silent because she was protecting something larger than herself.
But now the board was waiting for her decision about The Glass Monarch.
Corbin believed the premiere would make him untouchable.
He had no idea the approval he needed rested with the woman he had humiliated in front of two graves.
When Selena entered the meeting, Corbin was already there, confidently presenting his plans for the future.
He talked about loyalty.
He talked about vision.
He talked about the people who “stood beside him.”
Then Selena placed a single document on the table.
Not a threat.
Not revenge.
A decision.
Corbin finally noticed that the room was not reacting the way he expected.
Blythe was no longer protecting his image.
The board members were reading Selena’s recommendation.
And for the first time, Corbin understood that the quiet woman he had left standing in the rain was not waiting to be rescued.
She was the person everyone else had been waiting to hear from.
But before Selena could finish the meeting, Corbin saw a line in the document that completely changed his expression.
Because it was not about removing him.
It concerned something he had hidden from everyone — including Vivian.
The line appeared halfway down the second page.
Corbin noticed it before anyone else.
The color immediately drained from his face.
Selena saw it.
So did Malcolm.
So did Blythe.
Vivian, sitting three chairs away in a cream suit that seemed selected specifically for cameras, leaned forward.
“What is it?”
Corbin shut the document too quickly.
Selena stayed still.
“Read it,” she said.
His eyes met hers.
For one second, his usual confidence returned.
The confidence he relied on whenever he thought he could speak faster than the truth.
“This is internal financing language.”
“It is a disclosure requirement.”
“It has nothing to do with the creative package.”
“It has everything to do with whether the creative package was obtained lawfully.”
The boardroom fell silent.
Corbin’s jaw tightened.
Twelve people sat around the long walnut table, all of whom had spent the last three years hearing Corbin describe himself as the architect of The Glass Monarch.
His vision.
His relationships.
His financing strategy.
His breakthrough.
Now every one of them was watching Selena.
She turned a page.
“Section seven.”
Corbin remained silent.
Blythe read aloud.
“Undisclosed third-party compensation connected to acquisition of underlying adaptation rights.”
Vivian frowned.
“What compensation?”
Corbin looked at her.
That was his mistake.
Because fear flashed across his face before he could hide it.
Vivian saw it.
Selena saw Vivian notice.
And Malcolm quietly leaned back.
The atmosphere in the room shifted.
Corbin forced out a laugh.
“This is absurd.”
Selena folded her hands.
“Then explain it.”
“There is nothing to explain.”
“Good.”
She nodded toward Malcolm.
“Show them.”
Malcolm opened another folder.
Three contracts.
Two wire confirmations.
One private side letter.
He passed copies around the table.
Corbin never touched his.
Vivian did.
She read the first paragraph.
Then the second.
Then slowly raised her head.
“Who is Arclight Meridian?”
Nobody answered.
She turned toward Corbin.
“Corbin.”
He stared at Selena.
Selena answered instead.
“A shell company.”
Vivian blinked.
“Whose?”
Malcolm placed another page in front of her.
It was a Delaware corporate registration record.
