Chapter 6
The emergency board meeting began at nine the next morning.
I sat at the head of the table.
For years, Marcus had occupied that chair.
He told me it was easier if he handled executive decisions.
I usually sat beside him.
Smiled when introduced.
Then listened while he spoke.
But not anymore.
Aunt Patricia sat to my right.
Daniel sat to my left.
Simone had prepared a preliminary report.
Seven board members joined us.
Some looked nervous.
Others seemed angry.
Everyone had heard something about the anniversary incident.
But most didn't know the full story.
I took a deep breath.
"Thank you for coming."
My voice trembled slightly.
I continued.
"I requested this meeting because serious concerns have been raised about financial transactions and corporate authorizations."
One director leaned forward.
"Nicole, are these allegations related to Marcus?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
The room grew quiet.
I looked at Daniel.
He began explaining the disputed voting authorization.
Then the questionable consulting payments.
Then the attempted use of foundation-related commitments.
Simone reviewed the financial records.
She was careful.
She distinguished confirmed transactions from unresolved questions.
I appreciated that.
I didn't want revenge disguised as an investigation.
I wanted the truth.
After almost an hour, a director named Charles Morgan spoke.
"Do we have grounds to suspend Marcus's executive authority pending review?"
Daniel nodded.
"The board can take interim protective action under the company's governing documents."
Charles looked toward me.
"And you support that?"
I swallowed.
Marcus was still my husband.
At least legally.
He was Ethan's father.
A man I'd loved for fifteen years.
Part of me remembered our wedding.
The way he cried when I walked down the aisle.
The promises he made.
The first time he held Ethan.
But another part remembered the ballroom.
Vanessa's hand on his arm.
The recording.
The forged signature.
The attempt to move money after being exposed.
I looked directly at Charles.
"Yes."
The board voted.
Marcus was suspended from his executive position pending the investigation.
His authority to approve payments was revoked.
His access to restricted company systems was disabled.
And independent auditors were given authority to review relevant records.
The vote was unanimous.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Then Patricia reached beneath the table and squeezed my hand.
"You did the right thing."
I nodded.
But tears filled my eyes.
Because doing the right thing still hurt.
After the meeting, I returned to my father's old office.
It had become a ceremonial room after his death.
Nobody used it regularly.
His desk remained near the window.
Photographs covered the shelves.
There was one of him holding me when I was five.
Another showed him and Mama on their wedding day.
A third showed him smiling beside the first scholarship recipients from the foundation.
I sat in his chair.
For a long time, I stared at the city.
Then I whispered:
"Dad, I'm trying."
My phone rang.
Marcus.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
"Nicole."
His voice was furious.
"What have you done?"
I took a breath.
"Protected the company."
He laughed bitterly.
"You had me suspended?"
"The board voted unanimously."
"You turned them against me."
I looked at the photograph on the desk.
"No. The records raised serious concerns."
He lowered his voice.
"You have no idea how business works."
I felt the old fear rising.
The familiar voice.
The familiar insult.
For years, that sentence had silenced me.
Now I took a slow breath.
"Then perhaps you should have explained the transactions instead of hiding them."
He went silent.
I continued.
"Daniel and Simone are reviewing everything."
Marcus swore under his breath.
"You'll regret humiliating me."
I felt cold.
"Marcus, you walked into my father's anniversary celebration with Vanessa on your arm."
"That was personal."
"And the company money?"
He didn't answer.
I continued.
"The false authorization?"
Silence.
"The attempted reserve transfer?"
He exhaled sharply.
"Nicole, you're being manipulated by Patricia."
I almost laughed.
There it was again.
Someone else was always responsible.
Never Marcus.
I shook my head.
"No."
My voice became steady.
"I'm finally listening to the facts."
He lowered his voice.
"Think about Ethan."
My stomach tightened.
"Don't use our son."
"He needs his father."
"Then be a father."
Silence.
I continued.
"Call him. Ask how he's doing. Stop treating him like a bargaining chip."
Marcus said nothing.
Then he whispered:
"You've changed."
I looked around my father's office.
"Yes."
And for the first time, I was proud of that.
I ended the call.
Later that afternoon, Vanessa contacted me.
I didn't expect it.
Her message was short.
"Nicole, I need to talk. Marcus lied to me about more than your marriage."
I stared at the screen.
Part of me wanted to delete it.
I didn't owe her anything.
But another part wondered what she knew.
I forwarded the message to Daniel.
He advised that any relevant information should be provided through counsel.
I agreed.
Vanessa eventually met with investigators and the company's legal team.
She brought emails.
Payment records.
Copies of proposed employment documents.
And messages Marcus had sent her.
Some supported what we already suspected.
Others revealed a deeper arrangement with Harold Finch.
According to the messages, Marcus and Harold had discussed creating a new management company.
That company would receive lucrative contracts from Bennett Family Enterprises.
Marcus would eventually move parts of the business into the new structure.
Vanessa had been promised a senior position.
I stared at the documents.
He hadn't simply planned to take my voting rights.
He had planned to move valuable company operations into an entity he could control.
And the forged authorization was meant to remove the obstacles.
Daniel looked serious.
"This appears to be a coordinated scheme."
I nodded.
"What happens now?"
He explained that the company could pursue civil remedies and refer suspected criminal conduct to the appropriate authorities.
I agreed.
Then I asked:
"What about Vanessa?"
Daniel paused.
"Her involvement will need to be evaluated based on evidence."
I nodded.
I didn't want anyone punished for something they hadn't done.
But I also wouldn't protect people who had knowingly helped Marcus.
That evening, I returned to Patricia's house.
Ethan was sitting on the floor assembling a model airplane.
When he saw me, he smiled.
"Mom!"
I hugged him.
He looked at my face.
"Did you fix everything?"
I smiled sadly.
"Not everything."
He nodded.
"But we're making progress."
He looked relieved.
Then he asked:
"Is Dad going to jail?"
My heart tightened.
I sat beside him.
"I don't know, sweetheart."
He looked down.
I continued.
"There are people whose job is to investigate what happened."
He nodded.
"And whatever they decide, you are allowed to love your father."
His eyes filled.
"Even if he did bad things?"
I hugged him.
"Yes."
He began crying.
I held him.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then he whispered:
"Can I still love you more?"
I laughed through my tears.
"You don't have to choose."
He smiled weakly.
And I realized that protecting Ethan wasn't about making him hate Marcus.
It was about making sure he never believed another person's wrongdoing was his responsibility.
Then my phone rang.
Daniel.
His voice was urgent.
"Nicole, we've discovered another account."
I sat upright.
"What account?"
He hesitated.
"An account opened in Ethan's name."
May you like
My stomach dropped.
"And we need to determine whether Marcus used it to move money."
