Chapter 72
The vote removed Gabriel Summers from executive authority, but it did not remove his name. His elderly father regained authority once again to pacify the investors’ demands.
For two weeks, Gabriel held the title of chairman while auditors took over his offices. They duplicated documents and froze accounts while they reviewed everything. External lawyers used the front lobby to enter instead of the private entrance Gabriel preferred.
What started as a focused review quickly expanded when the auditors looked at joint ventures. Summers Corporation did not act alone; several of its subsidiaries received funding from investment vehicles linked to Conway. Board members were the same across companies, and advisory committees used the same legal firms.
As the review grew, regulatory letters included the name Conway as a footnote. Conway was not accused or indicted but was simply mentioned.
That was enough.
Evelyn spoke calmly to Arianne.
“When you started that inquiry,” she said, “you didn’t separate your father’s accounts from ours. Capital doesn’t recognize family boundaries. Once the investigation starts, it affects everything p>
Arianne remained calm.
“I knew about the shared interests,” she replied.
“Did you know about the timing?” Evelyn asked. “Cash flow became tight across three of our businesses. We worked for years to create distance p>
Yosef added quietly, “We weren’t under investigation. But we were no longer protected p>
Twenty-two years earlier, Arianne had been called before an emergency meeting of the board took place. Gabriel already knew that support from proxy votes was fading. Minority shareholders wanted an independent review of the transactions she submitted.
He didn’t argue with her.
He brought her into his study and shut the door.
“You don’t understand the big picture,” he said, sitting behind the same desk where she had once asked about compliance forms. Gabriel looked frustrated, even desperate.
“This isn’t a school debate, Aria. You’ve disrupted more than just the accounts p>
“I provided evidence,” she replied.
“You forced influential men to look out for themselves,” he said. “They won’t forget that p>
“I don’t need their forgiveness p>
He looked at her for a long time, as if searching for doubt. There was none.
“You will withdraw your complaint,” he said.
“I can’t p>
“Can’t?” His voice stayed calm.
“It has already been reviewed,” she said. “You can’t retract documents once they are verified p>
He stood up then, not out of anger, but out of understanding.
“You have made me vulnerable p>
“You made yourself vulnerable,” she retorted.
The board meeting went on without him in charge. They voted to suspend his executive authority, passing by a narrow margin once the preliminary findings were confirmed. This led to an immediate loss of market confidence. Credit facilities were reviewed. Partners publicly distanced themselves while negotiating privately.
He tried to improve the situation. He issued a statement saying the irregularities were just administrative mistakes. He asked for more time and sought temporary financing.
The audit grew in scope.
Three weeks after Gabriel Summers was removed from his position, he collapsed during a private meeting with external auditors due to cardiac arrest. Paramedics arrived within minutes, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The official report stated that stress-related heart failure worsened his existing health issues. His sudden passing caused the company to shift again. The Summers family had been forced into the spotlight once more.
The market did not stop to mourn.
Shares fell further before stabilizing under temporary leadership.
The press called it a tragic coincidence.
In private conversations, the narrative was quite different.
A thirteen-year-old had caused her father’s downfall.
People whispered about her in hallways, at memorials, and during the first board meeting after his funeral.
They called her a devil child.
They labeled her an ungrateful daughter.
They said she was a monster who had destroyed her own father.
Some claimed she had pushed him to his death. Others believed she had planned it.
She chose not to correct them.
At the memorial service, she stood next to the casket in a plain black dress. She accepted condolences with a polite nod. When family members cried openly, she did not.
A distant cousin whispered within earshot, “She doesn’t even look sorry p>
She heard him but did not reply.
That evening, Joyce approached her after the guests left.
“Do you understand what people are saying?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” Arianne answered.
“And p>
“They are free to speak p>
She showed no tears. There was no visible grief, not in public.
In private, she reviewed the audit summary one last time before archiving it. She made sure that the interim board had formally adopted the corrective measures. She confirmed that the restitution clauses were executed.
She did not attend the second week of condolences, nor did she show remorse for what happened. She had just lost both parents in a span of six months, yet Arianne was calm and unperturbed.
By the end of the year, they had removed Gabriel’s name from several plaques.
What stayed was the reputation tied to his daughter.
Investors remembered.
Board members remembered.
Families remembered.
The girl who submitted files that forced men thrice her age to defend their signatures.
The girl who refused to back down even after being warned.
The girl who watched her father be buried without showing any remorse.
In the study of the Conway estate, Evelyn looked at her granddaughter thoughtfully.
“His removal was manageable,” she said. “His death caused consequences that were beyond what you expected. Markets react to uncertainty, not morality. We felt the impact p>
Arianne spoke calmly.
“If the exposure led to collapse, the foundation was already weak p>
“You thought the truth was neutral,” Evelyn said. “It is not. It shifts power. Sometimes in a violent way p>
No one said a word.
“At such a young age,” Evelyn continued, “you showed you could take down a man who thought he was invincible. You did it alone, without asking anyone’s permission, and without hesitation p>
She did not soften her next words.
“People called you ruthless. Some called you inhuman. Even today, certain people still say that p>
Arianne did not argue.
“And you?” Evelyn asked. “Do you think you drove him to his death p>
Arianne met her gaze.
“He chose how to handle his problems,” she said. “I chose to reveal them p>
Her answer did not ask for forgiveness.
It also did not reject the cause.
Yosef exhaled quietly.
“The reputation followed you, Aria,” he said. “Boardrooms were cautious. Families were wary. By age thirteen, people already saw you as… dangerous p>
“I was seen as inconvenient,” Arianne corrected him.
Evelyn leaned back slightly.
“We are talking about this now because that reputation still exists. If you get involved in Conway matters again, people will take you seriously. They won’t forgive you for causing instability p>
The folder stayed on the desk between them.
“You pushed a powerful man into the spotlight,” Evelyn said. “And you did not back off when he fell p>
Arianne’s expression didn’t change.
“I did what I had to do,” she replied.
Outside, the estate grounds were quiet.
Inside, everyone felt the presence of a thirteen-year-old girl who would not be controlled. She was not just a story but a reminder of what had come before.
Everyone in the room understood that the girl labeled a devil child had grown into a woman with great skill and influence.