PART 9 — I Met My Husband Across a Table with Counsel Beside Us
Grant’s lawyer requested a meeting to discuss a separation and the company’s claims. Rosa arranged it at her office, with my own divorce lawyer, Helen Ward, present for the personal matters. I had spent years talking to Grant across dinner tables and car seats. Seeing him across a polished conference table felt formal, but the distance helped.
He looked tired. He began by saying he had not intended for the morning in the lobby to happen as it did. I asked what he had intended. He said he wanted me to arrive after Nina had agreed to postpone the announcement. He had told Sloane to watch for me and call him if I came early.
“Why tell her to say I was unsteady?” I asked. Grant studied the edge of his water glass. He said he had been frustrated and wanted Nina to give him time. Time for the account request, time to speak with Daniel, time to persuade me to sign. He described each step separately, as though they had no common purpose.
Rosa laid out the company’s records. Grant’s lawyer disputed some interpretations but did not challenge the payment approvals or the Northline correspondence. Helen asked Grant’s lawyer to send a revised separation proposal without company rights or statements about my health. Any employment or repayment agreement would be handled by the independent board committee.
Grant asked for a minute alone with me. Helen glanced at me, and I declined. He seemed hurt by that, though he had brought documents bearing my copied signature to my office weeks earlier. “I know I handled this badly,” he said. “I thought we could still settle it as a family.”
“We can settle the marriage responsibly,” I said. “The company has its own records to address.” It was difficult to speak without anger. I kept seeing Dad in the hospital cardigan and Sloane reaching for a pen with Evelyn’s watch on her wrist. I wanted Grant to understand the full harm without giving him another opening to bargain.
He asked whether I would support a resignation instead of a board dismissal. I said the committee would make its recommendation based on its findings. His lawyer shifted to practical terms: repayment, confidentiality, cooperation with customers if needed. Rosa said she would consider a documented proposal but would not promise an outcome that day.
After the meeting, Helen and I walked to a café nearby. She had known me only two weeks and did not pretend to know my marriage. She explained the separation steps and asked what I needed immediately. I wanted to remain at Dad’s house and keep personal property from becoming another argument. She drafted a temporary agreement covering the house and accounts.
That evening, I called Daniel. He had received an offer from Grant to buy his trust interest using money expected from an “eventual transaction.” Daniel said no. I was relieved he told me before I had to ask. He said he had spent years letting me carry the weight of the company and intended to take his share of responsibility now.
The board committee met the following morning. Camille presented her findings, including the forged documents, misleading projections, unauthorized disclosure, and payments to Elm Harbor. She also noted what remained uncertain. She could not establish that Grant ordered Sloane to spill the drink. She could establish that he planned to characterize my arrival as evidence against me.
Evelyn spoke about the statement he asked her to sign. I stayed outside during her interview. Afterward she came down the hall and sat beside me. She looked exhausted. “I told them what happened,” she said. I took her hand. We sat together until Daniel came out with a bottle of water for her.
The committee recommended terminating Grant’s employment for cause, seeking repayment of company funds, and referring the financial and document findings to outside authorities for review. The full board voted later that day. I recused myself. Nina called to tell me the resolution had passed, then asked how I wanted the staff announcement handled.
We sent a brief statement that Grant was no longer employed and that the company remained focused on its operating plan. We did not publish accusations about his private life. Rosa would make the required disclosures to affected parties. I reviewed the wording for accuracy and let Nina release it. Then I closed my office door.
I had imagined a decisive meeting might make me feel certain. Instead, I felt the absence of a person who had occupied my daily life for almost twenty years. He had driven me to my father’s funeral. He knew which kitchen drawer held the good scissors. He had also tried to take my authority while telling others I was unwell.
A message from Sloane arrived through her lawyer. She offered to return the watch to Evelyn. I asked Rosa to tell her it was not Evelyn’s property. Grant had bought it and given it away; returning it could not restore the birthday or the marriage. Sloane’s conduct at work remained under separate review.
Priya brought the final customer call list into my office. Before she left, she paused and said she was sorry for what happened in the lobby. She had learned about it from security. “You don’t need to apologize,” I told her. Priya shook her head. “I wish somebody had spoken up.” I thought about the two employees beside the elevator.
That night, I returned to Dad’s house and found Grant waiting on the porch. He stood when I parked but did not approach. I asked him to leave. He said he had one thing I needed to know about Northline, something he had withheld from the committee because it would hurt someone else. I called Rosa before letting him speak.
END PART 9
