The silence in the boardroom was so thick that the hum of the projector on the ceiling sounded like a jet engine. I could smell the expensive coffee beginning to cool, mixed with the faint scent of nervous sweat starting to emerge from a few of the board members sitting around the table.
"Henry, you're joking," Clara finally said. Her voice cracked, lacking the usual tone of authority she took pride in. "That badge... you must have forged it. There's no way you have the capital to buy shares in this company."
I leaned back into the plush leather chair, feeling a small thrill of victory crawl up my spine. I stared at her without blinking. "Forged? You can ask the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Mr. Abraham. He signed my ownership verification this morning."
Mr. Abraham, an old ma
