When an Outsider Trustee Discovers Her Corporate Neighbor Poisoned a $40 Million Heiress's Corgi to Steal Estate Control, an African Grey Parrot and an Accidentally Found Document Expose the Gaslig...
Julian’s confession hung in the air, heavy and dark. An underground syndicate, phantom stock options, and a multi-million dollar debt. The poisoning of Barnaby was merely a gruesome pawn in a far larger, more dangerous game. Eleanor wasn’t just greedy; she was desperate, and that made her infinitely more dangerous.
“We can’t go to the police yet,” I said, my mind racing. “Not with Kozlov involved. This is a corporate proxy battle, but with criminal elements lurking underneath. If we involve the authorities too soon, Eleanor might find a way to escape, or worse, retaliate against Julian, or even Chloe. We need undeniable proof for the board.”
Julian nodded, his face pale but resolute. “She’s set an emergency board meeting for tomorrow morning. She’s pushing the ‘Chloe is a danger’ narrative hard. She’ll present all her forged documents.”
“Then that’s where we make our move,” I decided. “You said Echo, the African Grey parrot, repeats everything?”
Julian’s eyes widened. “Everything. Especially conversations from the study. He’s a menace, sometimes. Eleanor often ranted in there, planning things with me, assuming he was just a bird.”
A cold, calculated plan began to form in my mind. “We need Echo in that boardroom. Right in the middle of Eleanor’s presentation.”
Julian hesitated. “He’s usually in Chloe’s room now. He doesn’t like strangers. It’ll be difficult to get him there without attracting attention.”
“That’s where I come in,” I said. “You focus on getting Echo into the main study quietly, just before the meeting. I’ll handle the delay tactics in the boardroom. We need to buy ourselves enough time for Echo to get comfortable, and then to speak.”
The next morning, the grand boardroom of Albright Holdings buzzed with nervous energy. Mahogany gleamed, and the air was thick with the scent of expensive coffee. Arthur sat at the head of the long table, his face a mixture of grief and weariness. Eleanor, impeccably dressed, radiated a chilling confidence. She held a stack of pristine documents, her expression one of sorrowful resolve.
“Good morning, gentlemen, Ms. Albright,” I said, walking in with an air of professional calm, even as my heart hammered against my ribs. I took my seat opposite Eleanor, placing my own slim briefcase on the table.
Eleanor’s smile was thin. “Ms. Lin. I trust you’ve reviewed the emergency proxy documents for Chloe’s guardianship.”
“I have,” I said, meeting her gaze squarely. “And I have some procedural questions regarding the expedited nature of this vote. Given the gravity of stripping a minor of her trust, I believe a standard 72-hour review period is legally mandated.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Eleanor’s face. She had expected a swift, unchallenged vote. “Under the circumstances, with Miss Albright’s… erratic behavior and the recent incident with Barnaby, we believe urgency is paramount to protect all involved.”
“Urgency, yes,” I conceded smoothly. “But also due process. And where are the original care logs for Barnaby? The ones from before the incident. I’d like to compare them with the ‘incident reports’ you’ve provided.”
As I spoke, I caught Julian’s eye. He gave a subtle nod and quietly slipped out of the room, heading towards the guest house where Chloe and Echo were waiting. My job was to keep Eleanor talking, keep the board from reaching a vote. The tension in the room ratcheted up, but I held my ground. Eleanor could accuse me of anything, but she couldn’t dismiss my duties as an independent trustee. Not yet.
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