Christopher was seventeen minutes late.
At 9:17, the door opened.
"Sorry," Christopher said. "There was a problem with the traffic."
Richard looked at the clock.
"Sit down."
Christopher placed his briefcase on the table.
Richard pushed a document toward him.
"Explain this."
Christopher looked at the page.
It was a copy of a Northbridge Services invoice.
He read it quickly.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the audit committee."
Christopher's expression changed.
"How?"
"That's not the question."
"It may be relevant."
Richard leaned forward.
"Did you authorize the transfer of the service agreements?"
"I authorized administrative changes."
"Did you authorize Northbridge to bill the group for services already covered by existing suppliers?"
Christopher looked at the document.
"Not intentionally."
"That's not an answer."
"I would need to see the underlying contracts."
"You're looking at one."
Christopher cleared his throat.
"Then it may be a coding error."
"An eight-hundred-thousand-dollar coding error?"
"That's the preliminary figure?"
"Yes."
"Then it's too early to draw conclusions."
Richard stared at him.
"That sentence is becoming very popular."
Christopher closed the folder.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I want the ownership of Northbridge established. I want the original contracts. I want every email concerning the transfers."
"Understood."
"And I want to know why Margaret Ellis was dismissed after raising questions."
Christopher looked uncomfortable.
"Her position was eliminated as part of the restructuring."
"Was it?"
"Yes."
"Then why did she receive a separation agreement containing language about discussing internal matters?"
"Standard confidentiality."
"Was it standard?"
Christopher hesitated.
"Legal drafted it."
"Who instructed legal?"
"I did."
Richard sat back.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he asked, "Did you threaten her?"
Christopher's eyes widened.
"No."
"She says you told her the industry had a long memory."
"I was explaining that public disputes can affect professional reputations."
"That is not what I asked."
Christopher looked down.
"I may have said something similar."
Richard stood.
"Get out."
Christopher blinked.
"Richard—"
"Get out of my office."
Christopher gathered his briefcase and left.
Richard remained standing.
He walked to the window and stared at the city.
He had known Christopher for six years.
They had worked together on several transactions, including a hotel portfolio acquisition that had been completed successfully. Christopher was aggressive, but he was organized. He knew how to navigate complicated contracts and move between lawyers, accountants, and executives.
Richard had trusted him.
Now he was beginning to wonder whether that trust had been misplaced.
His phone rang.
Leonard Price.
Richard answered.
"What?"
"Good morning to you too."
"What do you want?"
"We need to discuss the audit."
"There's nothing to discuss until it's complete."
"There are already serious findings."
"Preliminary findings."
"Yes. Which is why we need to preserve the records and suspend the transition plan."
Richard rubbed his forehead.
"You're making the situation worse."
"How?"
"You're allowing former employees to influence a transaction they don't understand."
Leonard's voice became colder.
"They understand the work they performed. They understand the invoices they were asked to approve. They understand why they were dismissed."
"That doesn't make them accountants."
"No. It makes them witnesses."
Richard walked back to his desk.
"Leonard, this is becoming a circus."
"Then stop treating it like a publicity problem."
"You're risking the entire group."
"I am trying to protect it."
"By giving Eleanor Grant veto power over everything?"
Leonard paused.
"She has the voting authority established by the trust."
"That trust was written decades ago."
"And it remains valid."
Richard's voice sharpened.
"You cannot run a company by worshipping the dead."
Leonard was silent for a moment.
Then he said, "No. But you can destroy one by forgetting the living."
Richard ended the call.
He stared at the phone.
Then he called his legal adviser.
At eleven, Eleanor arrived at the Grand Aurelia.
She had not intended to stay long.
She wanted to speak with Peter, check on the staff, and review the temporary instructions that had been issued to the management team.
The restaurant was quiet.
A few business lunches were taking place near the windows. The kitchen was preparing for the evening service, and the smell of fresh bread drifted through the corridor.
Peter met her near the entrance.
"Mrs. Grant."
"Peter."
"Thank you for coming."
"How are things?"
"Unsettled."
"Have people been asking questions?"
"All morning."
"What have you told them?"
"That the company is reviewing the proposed changes and that no employee should sign anything without proper advice."
"Good."
Peter looked toward the dining room.
"There's another matter."
"What is it?"
"Mr. Halston called."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow.
"What did he want?"
"He asked whether you would meet him privately."
"Did he say why?"
"He said he wanted to resolve the misunderstanding."
Eleanor considered that phrase.
"Misunderstanding."
"Yes."
"Did you tell him I would meet him?"
"I said I would pass on the request."
"Thank you."
Peter lowered his voice.