Thomas's office. Glass walls. Long table. Three chairs. Elena sat at one end. Her counsel, David Ross, sat beside her. Open laptop. Stacks of printed routing logs. Thomas stood at the head. Tie straight. Hands flat on the wood. Alexander stood near the window. Didn't sit. Didn't speak. Watched.
"The trust clause is standard," Thomas said. "It protects corporate assets. It prevents uncontrolled expansion. Vance Analytics operates under Sterling capital. Sterling capital requires oversight. The clause ties your operating license to the family trust. You sign it. The board approves the next funding round. You don't sign it. The funding stops. The routing freezes. The suppliers hold."
Elena didn't blink. "The clause strips my voting rights. It hands operational control to the trust. It turns Vance into a subsidiary. The original agreement specified independent execution. You're rewriting it after the fact."
