Isabella POV
The Sterling Industries boardroom felt different at seven AM - colder, more hostile, filled with people who'd once respected me but now looked at me like I was a dangerous animal that might attack at any moment. I sat at the head of the table, knowing this would be my last board meeting as CEO if Elena's emergency psychiatric hold succeeded, and tried to project the kind of vulnerability that would make my enemies overconfident.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," I said, letting my voice carry a slight tremor that could be interpreted as either stress or psychological instability. "I know there have been... concerns... about my mental state lately."
Victoria Walsh shifted uncomfortably in her chair, her sharp eyes tracking my every movement with the kind of attention that suggested she was looking for signs of the breakdown Elena had documented in her fraudulent medical reports.
