Three weeks after the wedding, the independent auditors submitted their preliminary findings to Vance Meridian's board.
I received an update from Adrian, but not the complete internal report. Certain records remained confidential, and I had no right to demand unrestricted access simply because I owned companies involved in the review.
I appreciated that boundary.
The investigation needed to remain independent.
But Adrian could confirm that the auditors had identified several material discrepancies requiring further examination.
The most significant involved Bellwether Advisory.
According to the preliminary reconciliation, Vance Meridian had paid Bellwether substantial sums for consulting services that weren't adequately supported by the documents produced.
Some invoices described market research.
Others referred to procurement assessments or strategic planning.
The auditors requested the underlying reports, work records, and evidence that the services had actually been performed.
Bellwether supplied some documentation.
But it didn't resolve every discrepancy.
The auditors also traced transfers to a company associated with Claire Vance.
Claire's company had been described as a subcontractor providing specialized business development services.
Yet several of the invoices appeared to duplicate work already billed elsewhere.
Other payments lacked clear supporting agreements.
The auditors weren't prepared to declare every transfer fraudulent.
They were prepared to say the existing records raised serious concerns.
I sat with Naomi while she reviewed the update.
"Claire's going to blame Julian."
"Probably."
"Will that help her?"
Naomi shook her head.
"That depends on what she actually authorized and what the records establish."
I looked toward the window.
For years, Claire had treated the family company's money as though it belonged to her personally.
She organized expensive events, traveled frequently, and described herself as an essential part of its business development strategy.
Now the auditors were asking what services her company provided in exchange for the payments it received.
I wondered how she would respond when charm and family connections were no longer enough.
The next development came from Rosa Medina.
The former accounts-payable supervisor had completed an interview with the independent investigators and provided additional correspondence from her final months at Vance Meridian.
Her records included requests for missing vendor documentation.
They also contained messages from senior management instructing her to process payments despite unresolved questions.
Some messages referred to Julian's approval.
Others directed her to contact Claire.
Rosa had kept copies because she'd become concerned about being blamed for transactions she couldn't verify.
When she continued requesting records, she was removed from certain duties.
Shortly afterward, the company eliminated her position.
The auditors were examining whether the restructuring was legitimate and whether her concerns had been handled according to the company's procedures.
I wanted her to receive a fair review.
But I also wanted her employment record corrected if the evidence established she'd been punished for raising legitimate concerns.
Naomi arranged for me to speak with Rosa after confirming she was comfortable doing so and that the conversation wouldn't interfere with the independent investigation.
We met at a quiet café.
Rosa arrived carrying a small handbag and a folder.
She looked nervous.
"Mrs. Vance, thank you for meeting me."
"Please call me Elena."
She smiled.
Then she told me about her eleven years at the company.
She'd joined when Vance Meridian was expanding and had enjoyed her work. She liked the employees, understood the payment systems, and took pride in maintaining accurate records.
For a long time, she believed the company valued those things too.
Then the pressure changed.
More payments were being requested with incomplete documentation.
When she asked for explanations, managers began telling her that executive approval was sufficient.
She said Julian eventually called her into his office.
He told her the company needed employees who could support its growth rather than slow it down with unnecessary questions.
Rosa looked down at her coffee.
"I wasn't trying to slow anything down."
I waited.
"I just wanted to know what we were paying for."
I felt a tightness in my chest.
My father had taught me that an honest question could prevent an expensive mistake.
Julian had apparently treated that same question as a challenge to his authority.
Rosa told me her dismissal had been devastating.
She'd expected to remain employed for several more years. Losing her job had affected her finances and her confidence.
She found temporary work, but she worried that prospective employers might view her departure from Vance Meridian as evidence of poor performance.
"I kept wondering whether I should've just processed the invoices," she said.
I looked at her.
"You asked questions because the records didn't make sense."
She nodded.
I was careful not to promise an outcome I couldn't control.
But I told her the independent review was examining what happened and that her records were important.
She thanked me.
Then she said something that stayed with me.
"I don't want Julian's whole company destroyed. I have friends who still work there."
I nodded.
"Neither do I."
She looked relieved.
Before leaving, she told me Owen Price had also been interviewed.
He'd supplied records concerning the approvals entered under his name, including the dates when he was on medical leave.
The auditors were comparing those records with the system logs and the company's authorization procedures.
I thanked Rosa for speaking with me.
Afterward, I sat in the café for a few minutes.
Julian had spent months accusing me of interfering with his business.
But the people most affected by the disputed transactions weren't wealthy executives arguing over company control.
They were employees like Rosa and Owen.
People who'd trusted the company's procedures and then found themselves facing consequences for questioning records that didn't make sense.
That afternoon, Adrian called.
The board had extended Julian's suspension while the investigation continued.
It had also directed company counsel to evaluate possible recovery of unsupported payments and review the employment decisions connected with the reported concerns.
Then Adrian told me Claire had resigned from her advisory role with Vance Meridian.
Her resignation didn't resolve the questions about her company.
The auditors would continue examining the transactions.
But the Vance family could no longer assume her position was protected simply because Malcolm and Victoria wanted it to be.
I looked at the clock.
It was almost the same time of day Julian had struck me three weeks earlier.
Back then, he'd expected everyone at the breakfast table to agree that I needed to learn my place.
Now the company was learning how much his family's authority had allowed them to avoid answering.
Click here to continue reading: PART 7: MALCOLM OFFERED ME A PRIVATE SETTLEMENT TO SAVE THE VANCE NAME, BUT I REFUSED TO MAKE THE EMPLOYEES PAY FOR HIS SON’S DECISIONS
THE SLAP AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE REVEALED MY HUSBAND’S TRUE NATURE, AND ONE PHONE CALL PUT HIS FAMILY’S EMPIRE IN DANGER
Part 6 of 10
