Chap 2: Part 1- Between Blood And Papers

The polished doors of the Harrison Estate's boardroom shut with a deep, final click — the kind that sounded less like a door and more like a vault closing.

The room was quiet, the kind of quiet built by wealth and habit. Leather chairs framed it in perfect symmetry, each one already claimed. The air held a trace of cologne, old paper, and something colder — like restraint.

Walter Harrison, the family patriarch, sat at the head, upright despite age, his cane resting beside him like a second spine.

Around the table, family members filled their seats with varying degrees of ease — Charles unreadable, Julian tense, Elena composed to the point of chill.

A few cousins setting notpads, more out of habit than interest.

Only the Celeste's chair was empty.

"Shall we begin?" Walter asked, voice gravel-worn and absolute. "Item one: the proposed restructuring of Vérité House."

"Mr. Chairman," Julian began, rising with the ease of someone born into power, "in light of Celeste's absence, and considering her historical underperformance, I propose the board vote to—"

The door opened.

No knock. Just presence.

Every head turned.

Eric walked in.

Black suit. No tie. Shirt collar open, wind-ruffled hair still damp. Rain clung to his coat like shadows. His boots echoed against the marble floor, and for a moment, the room forgot to breathe.

Julian froze mid-sentence.

Elena didn't blink — but her stillness was sharper than alarm.

His grandfather, Walter arched a single white brow. "Eric? "You weren't on the agenda."

"I wasn't invited," Eric said, coolly. "But Celeste sends her regards. She won't be attending. I have her proxy."

A ripple of whispers passed along the table.

Walter's cane tapped lightly on the floor.

"Sit down, Julian," Walter said, voice calm but carrying the weight of decades.

Julian hesitated, then sank back into his chair, eyes locked on Eric. He gave him a once-over, as if weighing his words.

"That's highly irregular. Voting shares can't be reassigned without prior—"

"Page six," Eric interrupted, dropping a folded letter onto the table. "Signed yesterday. Witnessed. Filed. I'm Celeste's proxy for this session and all board votes regarding Vérité House and associated entities."

Julian's jaw clenched. Elena's fingers tightened, a flicker of calculation in her eyes. She hadn't expected this. Not from him.

"Celeste wouldn't just—"

"She did," Eric said, his voice quieter now. Deadlier. "Article 5C of the family charter. Proxies may be granted without prior notice, provided they're submitted before the vote. You wrote that clause, Julian. Remember?"

A few of the younger cousins exchanged uneasy glances.

Walter's assistant, scanned Celeste's signature with wide eyes before passing it forward.

Charles finally looked up. "Eric, this isn't your arena."

"It is now."

He walked to Celeste's chair and pulled it out.

He didn't sit right away. He looked at each face — the cousins who'd laughed at him, the uncles who called his bakery a phase, the father who never once defended him.

Then. He sat down like he'd always belonged there.

Walter, still holding Celeste's letter, studied him. There was something in the old man's eyes — not approval, but a flicker of recognition. Something close to respect.

"It's valid," the assistant confirmed. "Effective for today's vote and any relating to Vérité House restructuring."

Julian's eyes darted to Walter, then Eric, too fast to be calm. "This is manipulation. Celeste barely understands what's at stake."

Eric turned to him. "She understands perfectly."

Elena interjected smoothly, "And yet she sent you. The one who walked away."

"I walked away from the circus," Eric said. "Not the legacy. "This isn't about just Vérité House."

A pause.

"It's about rewriting Elise's legacy, consolidating power under a few names — and erasing the rest of us."

"Very well," Walter said, placing the letter down. "Eric Harrison will vote in Celeste's stead."

Julian slammed his folder shut. Elena folded her hands.

"Let's proceed." Walter said. "Item one. Vérité House."

Eric leaned forward, fingers interlocked on the table. Smiled, just a little. "Before we vote on restructuring Vérité House, I'd like to table a motion."

Silence settled over the room like dust. Fountain pens stilled. Marry glanced up from her notepad. Someone near the end of the table adjusted his tie too tightly.

Julian scoffed. "You don't have the authority—"

"I hold a voting share. Same as you." He didn't raise his voice, but the room quieted again. "And I'm well within my right to propose oversight before we hand over anything."

Walter gave a curt nod. "Proceed."

Eric looked directly at Elena, then Julian. "I move to initiate a full audit of Harrison Capital's discretionary fund, the Paris trust, and its disbursements over the last two years."

A slow, frozen moment.

Elena didn't blink. But Julian's throat moved in a tight swallow.

"And your reason?" Charles asked, voice flat, face unreadable.

Eric continued. Eyes sweeping the table once. "There are inconsistencies in where Vérité House profits have gone. Acquisitions that don't appear in official records. Funds moving through ghost subsidiaries. My motion is to delay any vote on restructuring until the board has reviewed those findings."

Nicholas tapped his pen once, twice, his gaze never leaving Rowan. If he could have said 'told you so' out loud, he would have.

"Well," Nicholas murmured, folding his arms, "This is what happens when we let amateurs play venture capitalist." He added, eyes flicking toward Rowan. "Burning millions on startups while the rest of us run actual industries."

Rowan didn't flinch but Eric caught the quick tightening of his jaw.

Eric straightened in his chair, his voice smooth as silk and twice as sharp.

"I agree."

The room paused.

His eyes never left Nicholas. "Which is why I move to initiate a full audit of Harrison Capital's discretionary fund, the Paris Trust, and all disbursements over the past two years—" a beat, deliberate, "—including those involving Elden Shipping and Logistics."

Silence cracked like ice.

Nicholas's head snapped up. The blood drained from his face faster than he could control.

"Excuse me?" he said, the words soft, but cold. "You're auditing my department?"

Eric nodded once. "Yes, because if we're restructuring legacy institutions like Vérité House, I believe the board deserves clarity on where family resources have been flowing. All of them."

Nicholas straightened, trying for steady. "This is political. I run a transparent, decades-old operation—"

Eric smiled faintly. "Then the audit will clear you."

Walter looked at him — hard. Then turned to Nicholas. "Nicholas. Anything to add?"

Nicholas's jaw clenched. "This undermines confidence. Investors talk. If word leaks—"

Rowan's voice cut in, quiet but pointed. "What leaks are you worried about, Nicholas?"

A murmur passed along the table. A few cousins looked up. One even stopped writing. Elena's jaw twitched. Julian's eyes flicked from Nicholas to Rowan.

Nicholas's hands curled around his pen. "This is a targeted smear. Elden's books are clean."

Someone near the end of the table coughed, then pretended not to exist.

Julian let out a short breath through his nose. "You've been gone for years, and now you want to audit us?"

Eric's gaze met his. "No. I want transparency. I assume you don't have a problem with that."

"And why drag Elden into this? We're discussing restructuring, not staging a witch hunt."

"Because Harrison Capital is footing the bill for that restructuring — and it's made questionable payouts to Elden under Nicholas's direction.

If we want to restructure responsibly, we don't start by ignoring the rot."

He added. "Let's make sure no one's hiding behind cargo ships and offshore shells."

Chairs shifted. Someone scribbled a note too loudly. No one made eye contact.

Among old money, inheritance wars weren't rare — but when brothers fought, the stakes always doubled.

Charles, cleared his throat. "Eric, this isn't a courtroom. You're reaching."

Eric turned to him. "Then it'll be easy to prove me wrong."

Eyes darted toward Walter, then back to Eric, searching for a signal — for which way the wind would blow.

Rowan glanced at Eric. Something in his eyes — not surprise. Gratitude. He'd known this would come.

Nicholas turned to Walter. "You can't seriously entertain this. He's sitting here on a proxy—"

"And a voting share," Eric said. "Celeste's, for today. Vérité House and its associated entities. All of which have seen strange disbursements — some into your department."

Nicholas half-rose from his chair, the edge of a smirk curling at his mouth. "Are we turning this boardroom into a courtroom now? What's next — subpoenas over startup gossip?"

Eric shrugged. "Just accountability. You seem nervous, Nicholas."

"Sit down," Walter said without raising his voice. The steel beneath it was unmistakable.

Nicholas did.

A beat of silence passed — heavy, charged.

Walter's eyes lingered on Rowan for a breath too long. Not judgment — not yet. Just a question forming before finally speaking. "Seconded."

Julian turned toward him. "Grandfather—"

"I said, seconded."

Eric's voice was calm. "If everything's clean, there's nothing to hide. But if you've been using Elise's name to move money behind the board's back—"

"That's enough." Elena said sharply.

"We'll vote. Now." Walter's voice carried like a closing gavel — final, cold, and heavy with legacy.

He looked to his assistant. "Call the vote."

The assistant's voice, usually unnoticed, now echoed in the hush. "All those in favor of initiating a full audit of Harrison Capital's discretionary fund, the Paris Trust, and all disbursements involving Elden Shipping and Logistics, please raise your hands."

Eric raised his hand first — slow, deliberate.

Then Charles.

Then one of the younger cousins, hesitant but clear.

Then Rowan, with no hesitation at all.

Julian didn't move. Neither did Elena.

Nicholas let out a short breath, sharp as a blade. He didn't raise his hand.

And then other hands were raised. Slowly. One by one. No one dared look at Nicholas.

The motion passed.

The legal advisor down the line cleared his throat. "Motion carried. Board audit to begin immediately. Restructuring vote will be delayed pending findings."

Eric stood. "Thank you. That's all I needed today."

He didn't wait for Julian's glare or Nicholas stare or Elena's fury. He simply turned and walked out the same way he came in — like he'd always known the doors would open for him.