Chapter 10 - THE BOARD MEMBER WHO KNEW THE TRUTH
The anonymous call unsettled me.
I told Margaret.
She advised me not to respond to unknown callers and to preserve the call details.
Then we reviewed the board records again.
Meeting minutes.
Voting histories.
Conflict disclosures.
Financial approvals.
One name appeared repeatedly beside Thomas Reed.
ELEANOR PRICE.
The board chair.
The woman who'd welcomed me into the boardroom.
The woman who'd immediately suspended Adrian's proposed deal.
I stared.
“Could she be involved?”
Margaret hesitated.
“We need evidence before drawing conclusions.”
We requested an independent review.
A forensic accounting firm examined the relevant transactions.
And within two weeks, the investigators found something.
A consulting company connected to Eleanor had received payments from an intermediary associated with Northbridge.
The payments were described as advisory fees.
But the timing raised questions.
I felt sick.
“Eleanor?”
Margaret nodded.
“Possibly.”
I remembered her calm expression.
Her polished voice.
The way she'd welcomed me.
I called an emergency board meeting.
Eleanor arrived looking composed.
She smiled.
“Elise.”
I nodded.
“Eleanor.”
The independent investigators presented their findings.
Eleanor listened.
Then frowned.
“These are legitimate consulting payments.”
Margaret leaned forward.
“Then you should have disclosed the relationship.”
Eleanor's expression tightened.
I looked at her.
“Did my father know?”
Silence.
“Eleanor.”
She looked away.
I felt cold.
“He trusted you.”
Eleanor swallowed.
“He was becoming difficult.”
The room went silent.
I stared.
“Difficult?”
She nodded.
“He refused opportunities.”
I felt anger rise.
“He refused to sell properties he'd spent his life building.”
Eleanor's voice hardened.
“Sentimentality is expensive.”
I stared.
“So is betrayal.”
The board voted to remove Eleanor from the chairmanship pending the outcome of the investigation, following the company's governing procedures.
She left without looking at me.
Afterward, Julian approached.
“Elise.”
I turned.
He looked relieved.
“Your father would have been proud.”
I looked toward the empty chair.
“I hope so.”
Julian smiled gently.
“He always said the company needed someone who could recognize the difference between profit and value.”
I swallowed.
“And?”
May you like
Julian looked at me.
“He believed that person was you.”
