Chapter 7 - THE FATHER WHO HELPED HIM HIDE EVERYTHING
Leonard Mercer requested a meeting with Rebecca.
He said he wanted to resolve the situation before it damaged the company.
Rebecca insisted that any discussion take place with appropriate legal representation and a written record.
Leonard agreed.
I attended with her.
Marcus didn't.
That alone told me something was wrong.
Leonard arrived wearing a charcoal suit and the same disapproving expression he'd used throughout my marriage.
"Evelyn."
"Leonard."
He examined me for a moment.
"You look well."
"Thank you."
Then he placed a folder on the table.
It contained a proposed settlement.
The terms were generous on paper.
A financial payment.
A mutual release.
And a confidentiality provision intended to restrict further public discussion of certain matters.
I didn't touch it.
"What do you want me to do?"
Leonard folded his hands.
"Put the past behind you."
I almost laughed.
"The transactions are still being investigated."
"The company employs more than four hundred people. You need to consider the consequences of continuing this campaign."
I held his gaze.
"The consequences began when money was diverted from an employee hardship reserve."
His expression tightened.
"That hasn't been established."
"Then an independent investigation should help determine what happened."
Leonard looked toward Rebecca.
"You've filled her head with unnecessary legal concerns."
Rebecca's expression remained perfectly calm.
"Evelyn is capable of understanding her own legal interests."
Leonard was not accustomed to being contradicted.
Especially by women he'd decided were less important than he was.
He turned back to me.
"Marcus has made mistakes."
"Yes."
"But you've already rebuilt your life. You're married to Julian Rhodes, for heaven's sake. What more do you want?"
I looked at him.
"For the records to be examined honestly. For the people who were harmed to have access to appropriate remedies. And for my name to be removed from documents I didn't authorize."
Leonard stared.
Then his voice became cold.
"You always did believe your principles made you superior to everyone else."
"No."
I leaned forward.
"I believe the rules should apply to everyone, including people who can afford expensive attorneys."
The meeting ended without an agreement.
But as Leonard stood, he said something revealing.
"Marcus never understood why I insisted you leave the company."
I froze.
Rebecca immediately looked toward him.
Leonard realized his mistake.
But it was too late.
"You insisted?"
He adjusted his coat.
"You were no longer suited to the role."
"Because I questioned Hart Advisory Group?"
Leonard didn't answer.
Rebecca asked him to direct further communication through counsel.
He left.
That evening, Natalie reviewed several archived board records.
We were looking for evidence establishing Leonard's role in the disputed transactions.
Instead, she found a resolution concerning Hart Advisory Group.
It had been approved five years earlier.
Leonard's signature appeared at the bottom.
So did Marcus's.
And beside them was a third authorization.
Chloe Vance.
She hadn't merely been receiving money through a company she controlled.
She had participated in an arrangement approved at the highest level of Mercer Financial Systems.
Then Natalie noticed an attachment.
A proposed consulting agreement that contained a handwritten instruction from Leonard.
Ensure Evelyn is no longer responsible for the vendor review before execution.
The date was six weeks before Marcus filed for divorce.
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My former father-in-law had wanted me removed from the company's financial oversight before my marriage ended.
And Marcus had given him exactly what he wanted.
