Chapter 3 - The Boardroom Door
At 8:42 Monday morning, I entered Ellison Dynamics through the main lobby.
Employees stopped speaking.
Some recognized me as Grant’s wife.
Most had never seen me without him.
I wore a gray suit, low heels, and my father’s old watch.
Evelyn walked beside me. Behind us came Daniel Foster, two forensic accountants, and an independent corporate security team.
The receptionist stood.
“Mrs. Ellison, Mr. Ellison is in the boardroom.”
“I know.”
“He asked not to be disturbed.”
“He no longer has that authority.”
The elevator doors opened on the twelfth floor.
Grant’s executive assistant, Melissa, waited outside the boardroom.
Her face looked tense.
“He arrived at six,” she whispered. “He’s been calling department heads and telling them not to cooperate with you.”
“Did he access company files?”
“He tried. IT disabled his credentials.”
“Did he remove anything?”
“I don’t know.”
I touched her arm.
“You are not responsible for protecting him.”
Tears appeared in her eyes.
“I’ve spent years doing exactly that.”
The boardroom doors opened.
Grant sat at the head of the table.
Darlene occupied a chair behind him despite having no official role.
Vanessa sat near the windows.
Seven directors filled the remaining seats.
Grant smiled when I entered.
“There she is.”
I walked to the opposite end of the table.
Daniel handed each director a voting statement.
Grant did not touch his copy.
“This meeting is invalid,” he said.
The chairman, Harold Bennett, adjusted his glasses.
“No, Grant. It is properly convened under Section Eight of the bylaws.”
“I am chief executive officer.”
“For the moment,” I replied.
Grant leaned back.
“You think because you inherited money, you understand technology?”
“No. I understand governance.”
Darlene laughed.
“This is ridiculous. Maren has spent the last year choosing nursery curtains.”
I looked at her.
“I spent the last year reviewing Ellison Dynamics’ financial statements while raising a child your son barely noticed.”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“This is clearly personal.”
“You used corporate funds to pay for your apartment.”
Her confidence faltered.
“I was given a housing allowance.”
“There is no housing allowance in your employment contract.”
Grant struck the table.
“Enough.”
I placed a file in front of him.
“Argent Licensing.”
He stared at the name.
“Never heard of it.”
“Your signature appears on the incorporation documents.”
“My signature appears on many things.”
“Then you should read more carefully.”
Darlene glanced toward Grant.
The directors noticed.
Daniel began the presentation.
Over eighteen months, Grant had authorized the transfer of software patents to Argent Licensing at artificially low values.
Argent’s beneficial owner was a trust controlled by Darlene’s brother, Walter Keene.
Once the transfer was complete, Ellison Dynamics would be forced to pay licensing fees for technology it had developed.
Grant would profit while the company became insolvent.
The chief financial officer, Marcus Hale, entered midway through the presentation.
He looked exhausted.
“Mr. Ellison instructed me to approve the transfers,” Marcus said.
Grant stood.
“That is a lie.”
Marcus placed printed messages on the table.
“I refused. He threatened to fire me and destroy my career.”
Grant pointed at me.
“She paid you.”
“No,” Marcus said. “She gave me permission to tell the truth.”
Harold Bennett called for a vote.
“Motion to suspend Grant Ellison as chief executive officer pending a complete investigation.”
Grant laughed.
“No one here will support this circus.”
Six hands rose.
Then a seventh.
The vote was unanimous.
Grant stared around the table.
“You cowards.”
Security stepped closer.
“This is my company.”
I met his eyes.
“No. It belongs to its shareholders, employees, and customers. You were trusted to lead it.”
Darlene stood.
“You cannot remove an Ellison from Ellison Dynamics.”
“The name can be changed.”
Her face went pale.
Vanessa gathered her purse.
“Grant, I’m leaving.”
He turned on her.
“Sit down.”
“I’m not an officer of the company.”
“You benefited from everything.”
“I didn’t know about the patents.”
Grant laughed coldly.
“You signed the marketing agreements.”
Vanessa froze.
In one sentence, he implicated her.
The alliance between them began collapsing before our eyes.
Evelyn handed Grant a notice.
“You are prohibited from entering company property, contacting employees about the investigation, or accessing company data.”
He tore the notice in half.
Security moved forward.
Grant looked at me.
“You planned this for months.”
“I hoped you would stop.”
“You never warned me.”
“I asked you where the money was going. You called me paranoid.”
“You were my wife.”
“And you treated me like an asset.”
His face twisted.
“Without me, you’re nothing.”
I thought of my mother’s blue cardigan.
My father’s investments.
The nights I studied business contracts after Callum slept.
The millions I invested when no bank would touch Grant’s company.
“You built your life on my foundation,” I said. “You were simply too arrogant to look beneath your feet.”
Security escorted him out.
Darlene followed, shouting that every director would regret betraying her family.
Vanessa remained seated.
When the doors closed, she looked at me.
“Grant told me you were divorcing.”
“I wasn’t.”
“He said your marriage was only for appearances.”
“Did that make the corporate apartment acceptable?”
She lowered her eyes.
“No.”
“What do you know about the files he removed from our house?”
Her head lifted.
“What files?”
“I have security footage.”
Vanessa’s face changed.
Darlene had warned Grant that I might know too much.
Now Vanessa understood he had dragged her into something more dangerous than an affair.
“He keeps a second ledger,” she whispered.
“Where?”
“I don’t know. He said it proved everyone was loyal.”
“Everyone?”
“Politicians. Hospital administrators. Contractors. People who received money.”
“What money?”
Vanessa looked toward the closed doors.
May you like
“Bribes.”
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