Chapter 10 - THE FATHER WHO CHOSE THE TRUTH
Warren Wycliffe survived.
But the heart attack changed him.
He stepped away from daily management.
Appointed independent directors.
And agreed to cooperate fully with the investigation.
One afternoon, he asked to see me.
I arrived at his Connecticut estate.
The dining room had been cleaned.
The photographs were gone.
The walnut table gleamed beneath the chandeliers.
But I could still remember the first photograph landing in my dinner plate.
Warren sat in his study.
He looked older.
Tired.
But his eyes remained sharp.
“Maren.”
“Mr. Wycliffe.”
He smiled faintly.
“Warren.”
I sat.
He looked at me.
“I owe you an apology.”
I frowned.
“For what?”
“For inviting you to that dinner.”
I shook my head.
“You didn't know.”
He nodded.
“But I should have known more about what was happening in my own family.”
I said nothing.
He continued.
“I spent forty years building a company.”
His voice softened.
“And somewhere along the way, I forgot that character matters more than inheritance.”
I looked at him.
Warren swallowed.
“Ethan thought he was entitled to leadership because he was my son.”
A pause.
“Curtis thought he was entitled to money because he helped build the business.”
He shook his head.
“Neither understood that responsibility comes first.”
I nodded.
Warren leaned forward.
“Maren, I want to ask you something.”
I waited.
“Would you consider helping us rebuild?”
I stared.
“As an investor?”
He shook his head.
“As chair of the independent restructuring committee.”
I looked at him.
Then smiled faintly.
“Warren.”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure you want me asking questions?”
He laughed.
May you like
For the first time in months, the sound filled the room.
“That's exactly why I'm asking.”
