Mr. Villain's Lovely Wife

Lovely wife 230

Leave Nothing But Silence

Leave Nothing But Silence

Frederik leaned back slightly in his seat, confident that the direction of the conversation was moving exactly as he intended. He had laid the foundation. Now all he had to do was watch it solidify.

Marla DuPont was the first to speak. She uncapped her pen and tapped it once against the table before looking toward Isabella's image on the video screen.

"I agree with Frederik," Marla said. "Whether or not the legal matters hold, the boars image has already taken a hit. Miss Rossi's continued presence is a liability. She should consider resigning voluntarily. It would save us all unnecessary attention."

Frank Dorsey gave a small grunt of approval. "Exactly. This group isn't a family club. We handle intergovernmental assets. This much noise-press, countersuits, threats-it doesn't matter what the verdicts are. Perception is reality."

Linda Keating murmured something that Frederik interpreted as agreement.

Frederik folded his hands. "We're not here to place blame. This is the procedure. But if Miss Rossi truly wants to protect her family legacy, stepping down now is the responsible choice."

Isabella didn't flinch. She waited for the room to settle, then leaned slightly forward on her screen.

"Then let's talk procedure," she said. "According to Section 3.4, subsection (c), any board member subject to review under this clause must be proven to have caused measurable financial harm or legal impairment to the Group's core functions. I have done neither."

Frederik stiffened. Why was she talking about this instead of... apologizing to the board members?

Isabella gestured to her right. The lawyer, Maria Alcaraz appeared in a secondary window, nodding once. "Confirmed. The clause is specific. Allegations alone do not warrant suspension unless tied to confirmed legal or financial consequence." It looked like Maria was still in a car, looking disheveled. Did she just come from that press conference?

"That hasn't been tested," Frederik said, jaw tight.

"We're testing it now," Maria replied.

Isabella tapped her tablet. The screen behind her changed, pulling up several documents.

"Next," she continued, "I'd like to address the claim that my actions risked the Group's reputation. Shall we look at Vasili Security, a division managed by Frederik Vasili? In 2022, it failed a compliance audit in Antwerp. The resulting breach exposed three EU customs entries."

She tapped again.

"And here, a memo from January of this year showing that same division under review by Belgian authorities." Frederik opened his mouth, but Isabella kept going.

authorizing a silent resolution on a harassment complaint

leaned forward. "I wasn't

an emergency clause. You can check the audit trail." The room was

going to invoke reputation and procedure," Isabella

the chairman, voice strained. "This is a

not the only one with reputational risk,"

said, tapping her screen again, "let's make sure we apply it correctly." She leaned slightly forward. "Section 3.4 of our internal governance policy-and I quote-states clearly that board members must avoid personal

under investigation. I've not been caught funneling money through shell companies, nor have I been named in drug

twelve Successfully unlocked! She paused. "Can everyone else in this

to their

A few eyes dropped.

DuPont. "Madam DuPont. Would you care to explain the

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Leave Nothing But Silence

one where he was brought in for questioning just two months ago regarding a trafficking ring in Bordeaux? The same brother whose pharmaceutical license was suspended?

up straighter, her face tense. "That has nothing to do with

brother."

not," Isabella agreed. "But neither am I the woman the media tried to paint me as. And if your brother's criminal activity doesn't reflect on you, then explain why my husband's personal affairs and accusations are being used as a metric for my

could answer, Isabella turned

from Baltimore? One of your subcontractors rerouted containers under false manifests, costing us penalties in five ports. You were almost sanctioned

my

for third-party use of the shipping credential codes, Isabella said. "And it took an internal legal

Frank's jaw tightened.

believe your son's divorce case was sealed recently? Something about misappropriation of trust funds tied to a joint real estate

has no bearing

voted to question my presence here based

Silence.

hands on the table. "Let's be clear. If we're using 3.4 to evaluate each board member's affiliations and reputational risk, then perhaps we need a more comprehensive review. I'm happy to volunteer mine.

a short nod. Leo Marchenko scribbled something quietly on

could feel the energy in the room turn. Isabella

response," Isabella said