Chapter 17 - The Last Deal
Julian's offer was delivered through an attorney.
He claimed Malcolm had approved enough of the early contracts to expose himself to serious liability.
He would provide records if investigators agreed not to pursue certain allegations against the chairman.
It was not a bargain we had authority to make.
Elena referred the proposal to the appropriate professionals and kept me out of any attempt to negotiate the investigation.
Still, the implication troubled me.
Malcolm had fought to keep Aurelia alive.
He had also signed contracts during the company's worst period.
Good motives didn't eliminate the need for scrutiny.
I met him in a conference room with independent counsel present.
He acknowledged that his oversight had been inadequate.
He denied knowingly approving sham invoices.
Then he produced emails he'd been ashamed to disclose.
They showed Helena warning him that without her funding, Aurelia would collapse and employees would lose their jobs.
She had offered support tied to specific vendor and restructuring decisions.
Malcolm rejected the most extreme terms but allowed some consulting contracts to proceed without sufficient verification.
He had made a frightened compromise.
Julian had used it as leverage ever since.
Malcolm's face crumpled when he described the employees he thought he was saving.
I didn't absolve him.
I thanked him for the records and told him that accountability would have to follow.
He nodded.
“I know.”
Within days, outside investigators established a clearer transaction timeline.
Evidence pointed to a coordinated effort by Julian and others to divert resources and position Helena's buyer to acquire company assets cheaply.
Formal proceedings would take time, and outcomes were not guaranteed.
But the board could act on independently supported employment findings.
Following documented procedures, Aurelia terminated Julian's employment for cause.
Camilla's employment also ended after her role was reviewed.
The company updated its financial controls and cooperated with authorities.
Julian appealed through counsel and threatened another wave of litigation.
The difference was that we no longer needed to argue with him in ballrooms.
We had records, a process, and a business to rebuild.
I expected to feel triumphant.
Instead I felt tired.
I stood alone in the office after the announcement and looked down at employees leaving for the evening.
People carrying grocery bags, calling partners, hurrying to trains.
Their lives hadn't been waiting for the final chapter of my marriage.
They needed their paychecks and the dignity of honest work.
Then a message arrived from an unfamiliar number.
It contained a single photograph.
Julian and Helena were sitting together in a private airport lounge.
The date stamp was from that morning.
Beneath it was a sentence.
May you like
He has one document left.
