Chapter 6
“Why forge my daughter’s authorization?”
“I didn’t forge anything.”
“Why prepare her resignation?”
“I was trying to keep personal emotions from disrupting a business transaction.”
I stared at him.
Personal emotions.
That was what he called it.
Sleeping with my best friend.
Stealing my authority.
Using my signature.
Planning to have me sign away my rights immediately after marrying me.
Personal emotions.
I took off my wedding ring.
I had put it in my pocket that morning because I wasn’t ready to decide what to do with it.
Now I was.
I placed it on top of the resignation document.
Reid stared at it.
“You wanted my resignation,” I said. “You’re getting one.”
His face changed.
I continued.
“But not from the board.”
“Nora.”
“I’m resigning from this marriage.”
Camille looked down.
Reid pushed his chair back.
“Don’t be dramatic.”
That almost impressed me.
Twenty-four hours earlier, those words might have hurt.
Now they sounded pathetic.
I looked toward Evelyn.
She nodded.
Dad opened the board packet in front of him.
“As majority shareholder,” he said, “our firm has formally requested an emergency vote regarding Reid Hale’s continued service as chief executive officer.”
Reid froze.
“You can’t do that.”
Dad looked at him.
“I can.”
“You need cause.”
Evelyn answered.
“We have cause.”
The CFO spoke next.
“Following discovery of undisclosed related-party transactions and irregular executive authorizations, I support immediate suspension pending forensic audit.”
One of the directors appeared on the conference screen.
“So do I.”
Then another.
Reid looked around the room.
“This company is mine.”
Dad’s expression didn’t move.
“No.”
He paused.
“It was your idea.”
Then he looked at me.
“But you seem to have forgotten who helped you build it.”
The vote took less than four minutes.
Reid Hale was suspended as CEO effective immediately.
His access to company systems was revoked.
The Northstar acquisition was terminated.
All pending payments to CF Advisory were frozen.
An independent forensic investigation was authorized.
And every transaction bearing my signature from the previous twelve months was ordered for review.
Camille stood as soon as the vote ended.
“Nora.”
I looked at her.
Tears filled her eyes.
For eleven years, I had known every version of Camille Foster.
The nineteen-year-old who slept on my dorm-room floor after her first breakup.
The twenty-three-year-old who held my hand at my grandmother’s funeral.
The twenty-six-year-old who helped Reid plan my surprise birthday.
The woman who zipped me into my wedding dress while secretly helping my fiancé prepare documents against me.