Chapter 7 - THE TRUTH ON THE BIG SCREENThe massive projection screen flickered to life, illuminating the dark boardroom with crystal-clear, high-definition video footage.
It wasn't footage of Briar biting Edmund. Instead, it showed security camera angles from the east wing terrace taken at 5:30 AM yesterday morning—hours before the alleged attack.
On the screen, Uncle Edmund could be clearly seen standing alone near the stable entrance. He was holding a small tactical knife, deliberately slicing a jagged tear into his own navy cuff, before deliberately snagging the fabric on a protruding piece of Aegis red nylon cord mounted to the stable frame. He even looked around guiltily to make sure no one was watching before scuffing his own skin with a rough stone to simulate an abrasion.
The entire boardroom went deathly, suffocatingly quiet.
Edmund’s face drained of all color, his silver hair suddenly looking stark against his ash-gray skin. "This... this is a digital fabrication! A deepfake generated by Julian’s tech team!"
"Incorrect, Edmund," Naomi stepped forward, tapping her tablet to bring up cryptographic blockchain verification stamps and forensic audio analysis logs. "The video metadata is unalterable, pulled directly from the encrypted mainframe servers of Aegis Logistics—which Marcus Vance unlocked for us last night before he confessed to orchestrating the entire conspiracy under your direct orders."
Edmund gripped the edge of the mahogany table, his knuckles turning white. "You're lying! Both of you!"
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"And that's not even the best part," Julian said smoothly, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. He clicked to the next slide, which displayed financial audit trails, offshore wire transfers, and signed corporate acquisition agreements.
"These are bank records showing that over the past six months, Edmund has been systematically embezzling from our shipping subsidiaries and funneling capital into Aegis Logistics to orchestrate a hostile buyout of our family trust. The dog bite wasn't about Finn’s safety, gentlemen. It was a fabricated pretext to remove me as guardian, isolate Finn, and execute a corporate coup d'état."
