Adrian's jaw tightened.
"We're here to discuss a settlement."
"No. Your lawyers are here to discuss a settlement. I am asking my husband why he decided to destroy my reputation."
He glanced at the attorneys.
"This is not productive."
"Then answer the question."
He leaned back.
"You were making the company impossible to manage."
Evelyn stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"You questioned everything. Every budget, every contract, every financing proposal. You treated every disagreement as a potential scandal."
"I questioned expenses that couldn't be explained."
"You undermined the finance department."
"I asked them to provide supporting documentation."
"You refused to trust the people working for you."
"I refused to approve figures that didn't make sense."
Adrian's expression changed.
For the first time, the polished mask slipped enough for her to see his anger.
"You think you're the only person who understands how business works," he said. "You think your standards are more important than the survival of the company."
"My standards are why the company survived."
"Your standards nearly cost us the Northbridge financing."
"Because the financing required us to transfer assets into a holding company before the terms were finalized."
"That was a commercial decision."
"It was a decision I was entitled to question."
Adrian's face hardened.
"You're not entitled to hold everyone hostage because you don't like being challenged."
Evelyn felt the old instinct to defend herself, to explain that she had never intended to hold anyone hostage, that she had wanted the company to succeed.
She let the impulse pass.
"Who owns the new holding company?" she asked.
Adrian said nothing.
"Who owns it, Adrian?"
"That information is confidential."
"Then why was I expected to approve a restructuring involving it?"
"Because the board had approved the proposal."
"Did you know who the beneficial owners were?"
His attorney interrupted.
"We should return to the settlement discussion."
Rachel agreed that the question should be addressed through the appropriate legal process, but she did not ask Evelyn to stop.
Adrian looked at her.
"You really think you're going to uncover some grand conspiracy."
"I think the financial records should be examined."
"You've always been good at making ordinary things sound sinister."
Evelyn felt a sharp, unexpected calm.
"Then the records should clear everything up."
Adrian stared at her.
The silence lasted long enough for his attorney to glance at him.
Finally, he turned back to the settlement proposal.
The offer required Evelyn to resign permanently, waive claims relating to her removal, accept a confidentiality provision, and refrain from assisting certain third-party inquiries except where legally required.
Rachel objected to the breadth of the language.
Adrian's attorney said the clauses were standard.
"They are not acceptable as drafted," Rachel replied.
The lawyers spent the next forty minutes discussing the terms.
Evelyn said very little.
She had begun the meeting expecting anger, perhaps a denial or a carefully prepared apology.
Instead, she had received an offer to disappear.
The money was intended to make the decision look rational.
The confidentiality terms were intended to prevent her from discussing the circumstances of her departure.
The release would make future claims more difficult.
And the timing suggested that the company wanted the dispute resolved before the financial review was complete.
When the meeting ended, no agreement had been reached.
Outside the conference room, Adrian caught up with Evelyn.
"Can we talk privately?"
Rachel stopped.
"We should remain within the agreed meeting arrangements."
Adrian looked irritated.
"I just want five minutes with my wife."
Evelyn considered refusing.
Then she said, "Rachel can stay within sight. We can speak here."
Adrian glanced toward the corridor.
"You don't trust me at all anymore."
"No."
The answer surprised him.
For a moment, he looked genuinely wounded.
Then he lowered his voice.
"You need to think about what you're doing. The longer this continues, the more damage you'll cause yourself."
"What damage?"
"People are already questioning your judgment. If this becomes a legal fight, every decision you've made at Hartwell will be examined."
"That is what an investigation is supposed to do."
"Your private life could become part of it."
"Is that a threat?"
"No. It's a warning."
Evelyn studied him.
"Why are you so worried about my private life?"
He looked away.
"Because I know how these things work."
She felt the old fear rising in her chest, but it no longer controlled her.
"Then you know I should preserve the evidence and let the process continue."
Adrian stepped closer.