I can heal your eyes, sir. The words dropped into the still air like a pebble into deep water soft, almost fragile. The blind man was stunned by what happened next…

And she’ll be cruel. I’ve seen cruel, Thomas said. And I’m done tolerating it.

She handed him a second folder. This is your personal statement. You’ll present it to the board.

I suggest memorizing it. Show them strength. He nodded.

Judith may still try to make you look confused. Mentally unstable. Any slip up.

I won’t give her one. Price smiled. Good.

Because we’re in this now. All the way. Thomas left the office with a sense of gravity, not fear.

Not hope. Just wait. But it was the kind of wait a man shoulders when he stops running and starts standing.

Back at the park that afternoon, Jada was waiting with two small cups of ice cream. You look different, she said, offering him the chocolate swirl. I am, she studied his face.

She knows you’re awake. Yes. Then it’s begun, he nodded.

The first move was mine. They sat in the sun, quiet, breathing. She’ll come for you, Jada said softly.

I know. Are you ready? Thomas licked his ice cream, then smiled. I’ve never been more ready in my life.

By noon the next day, the injunction was filed. The board was notified. Judith’s shell accounts were frozen under suspicion of fraudulent transfer.

Within hours, the house shifted. Not physically, but in tension, in tone, in temperature. Even the staff, few as they were, moved more carefully.

Eyes downcast, words clipped. Thomas felt it in the air, like electricity before a storm. Judith did not return home until dusk.

He heard the engine hum in the driveway. The car door slammed harder than usual. Her heels on the step sharpened fast, no hesitation.

The front door burst open, then slammed shut again. Thomas didn’t rise from the study. He knew she’d come straight to him.

She didn’t knock. She never did. So, she said, standing in the doorway.

Her tone was calm, measured but her breath was quick. You’ve made your move. Thomas set his pen down and folded his hands.

I had no choice. She stepped inside, closing the door with a gentler click this time. You think you’ve won something, don’t you? I think I’ve stopped losing, he replied.

That’s enough for now. She walked to the desk, slowly, deliberately, her heels sinking slightly into the thick carpet. You don’t understand what you’ve done.

Freezing those accounts bringing in lawyers, investigators. You’ve exposed us both. No, he said.

I’ve exposed you. Her eyes flickered. You think the board will take your side? A half-blind man who’s been falling apart for months? Better than a woman funneling company assets into private channels.

She leaned forward, her voice low and almost tender. Thomas, I tried to protect you. No, he said.

You tried to replace me. There’s a difference, she straightened. And now what? You’ll drag your name through the courts? Turn this into a media circus? You’ll kill what we built.

I built it, he said. You tried to bury it. Her eyes narrowed.

You really think anyone will believe you? He opened the drawer and pressed play on the recorder. Her voice, from the previous night, filled the room. I’ve always done what’s best for you.

Clarity’s important. You’ve seemed unsettled. It wasn’t damning.

Not outright. But it was suggestive. Calculated.

Patterned. Judith’s face went still. I have more, he said quietly.

She stared at him, then turned without a word and walked out. He sat still long after the door closed. Not because he was afraid, but because she hadn’t denied it.

Not once. Later that evening, Jada called. She went to the board chair.

She whispered. I saw her. She brought that slick lawyer Carl.

They didn’t look happy. Did she say anything? Number. But Carl looked like he wanted to break something.

Thomas nodded, pressing the phone tighter. It’s starting. You ready? I have to be.

The next morning, Naomi Price called. She’s responding with her own motion. Claiming your decline began earlier than reported.

She’s citing fatigue, memory issues, even paranoia. We expected this. We’re already preparing affidavits to counter it.

And Jada’s testimony will help. When do I speak to the board? Tomorrow. Noon.

Thomas exhaled. Are you sure you want to do this yourself? Naomi asked. I can speak on your behalf.

No, he said. They need to hear me. That night, he didn’t sleep much.

He reviewed his statement over and over each word memorized, rehearsed. But it wasn’t just the words. It was the feeling behind them…