Chapter 3 - The Emergency Board Meeting
At 8:00 Monday morning, every seat in Sterling Meridian’s executive boardroom was occupied.
Brendan arrived at 7:58.
His access badge didn’t work.
A security officer opened the door for him.
He hated that.
I could see it.
Diane entered behind him.
Jessica came last with an attorney.
I was already seated at the head of the table.
Brendan stopped.
That chair had always belonged to the chairman during formal meetings.
Today it belonged to me.
“Sit down,” I said.
Diane remained standing.
“I want to know what game you’re playing.”
Arthur slid a folder toward her.
“No game.”
Brendan sat.
“Cassidy, can we talk privately?”
“We were married for three years. You had plenty of opportunities.”
“This is business.”
“Yes.”
I folded my hands.
“That’s why the board is here.”
The independent chairman cleared his throat.
“Ms. Cassidy has exercised her controlling rights to convene this meeting.”
Jessica whispered to Brendan.
“You said she was broke.”
I heard her.
“So did you,” I replied.
Jessica froze.
I turned to Arthur.
“Proceed.”
A screen illuminated.
Arthur displayed the first contract.
“JL Strategic Partners. Established nineteen months ago.”
Jessica’s attorney interrupted.
“My client—”
“Will have an opportunity to respond.”
Arthur changed slides.
“Four-point-eight million dollars in payments. No employees. No dedicated office. No verifiable deliverables.”
Jessica crossed her arms.
“We provided consulting.”
“Who is ‘we’?”
She hesitated.
“My team.”
“Name one employee.”
Silence.
Arthur continued.
“Brendan Morrison personally approved fourteen payments.”
Brendan leaned forward.
“I was told the work was legitimate.”
“By whom?”
“Jessica.”
I almost laughed.
Jessica stared at him.
“You’re throwing me under the bus?”
“I’m answering the question.”
“You signed everything!”
Diane snapped, “Both of you, stop.”
Arthur looked at Diane.
“Conveniently, Mrs. Morrison, you authorized the vendor exemption allowing those payments to bypass competitive bidding.”
Diane’s face stiffened.
“I trusted my son.”
“And I trusted mine,” I said quietly, touching my stomach.
The room fell silent.
“My daughter deserves better examples.”
Brendan looked at me.
“Cassidy, please.”
I continued.
“How many people did you lay off last year?”
His brow furrowed.
“What?”
“Your division. How many?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Twenty-seven.”
I opened another folder.
“You told the board payroll needed to be reduced by $2.1 million.”
“We had budget pressure.”
“But somehow you found almost five million for Jessica.”
Nobody spoke.
I looked around the table.
“This company employs people who worry about mortgages. Medical bills. College tuition. Groceries.”
Then I looked at Brendan.
“You treated their livelihoods like numbers while treating corporate money like your family wallet.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No?”
I slid a document toward him.
He looked down.
His expression collapsed.
“What is this?”
“Your expense account.”
Private jets.
Luxury resorts.
Jewelry listed as “client development.”
A $96,000 vehicle described as “regional transportation.”
Diane whispered, “Brendan…”
He looked at her.
“You used the account too!”
And there it was.
The Morrison family loyalty lasted exactly as long as the money.
Diane pointed at Jessica.
“She started this.”
Jessica stood.
“You begged me to set up the consulting company!”
Her attorney grabbed her arm.
“Jessica.”
“No! They’re not putting this on me!”
She pointed at Diane.
“She told me nobody checked executive vendor accounts under five million!”
The room became completely still.
Arthur leaned back.
“Thank you, Ms. Lane.”
Jessica realized what she had done.
“Oh, God.”
Brendan covered his face.
Diane sat down.
I looked at Arthur.
“Is that sufficient?”
“More than sufficient.”
The chairman called the vote.
Brendan was terminated for cause pending further legal review.
Diane was terminated.
Jessica was terminated.
Every Morrison family appointment would undergo independent audit.
But there was one more matter.
I slid a document across the table toward Brendan.
He stared at it.
“What’s this?”
“Acknowledgment regarding our daughter.”
His eyes lifted.
“You’re keeping her from me?”
“No.”
That surprised him.
“I will never use my daughter as revenge.”
His shoulders loosened slightly.
“But,” I continued, “you will communicate through attorneys until you prove you can behave like a father instead of a Morrison executive.”
His eyes hardened.
“You think money makes you better than me?”
“No.”
I stood.
“I spent three years believing money didn’t matter.”
I glanced toward Diane.
“You taught me character does.”
Then I walked out.
Behind me, Jessica suddenly shouted.
“Brendan, you told me Cassidy was nothing!”
His answer followed me into the hallway.
“I thought she was!”
I stopped.
Not because it hurt.
Because finally, after three years, he had said the truth out loud.
May you like
He had treated me badly because he thought I was nothing.
And now everyone knew it.
