There was no magical court order freezing every account he possessed.
No immediate transfer of shares to Iris.
No automatic collapse of every agreement he’d signed.
But the effects were real.
His authority had been suspended.
His pending equity transaction was on hold.
His principal business relationships were being reassessed.
And he was standing in front of the people who had once regarded him as a rising star, unable to reassure any of them.
His phone vibrated again.
He silenced it.
When he looked up, Iris was leaving the stage.
Richard stood near the family table.
He watched his daughter approach.
For a moment, he seemed unsure whether to embrace her or ask what she had just done.
Then he opened his arms.
Iris stepped into them.
