Chapter 5 - HE WAS STEALING THE COMPANY BEFORE THE DIVORCE
For the first time that morning, Garrett had no immediate answer.
Christopher did.
“Meridian West sent us a proposal using cost models, engineering schedules, and proprietary planning documents created by West Enterprises.”
Helen stared at Garrett.
“You tried to move Blue Horizon into a private company?”
“I explored contingency options.”
“Contingency for what?”
Garrett looked at me.
That was enough.
For me.
He was preparing for the possibility that I refused to surrender my shares.
If he couldn’t own West Enterprises without me, he would take its best project somewhere else.
Samuel pushed his chair back.
“That’s theft of a corporate opportunity.”
Garrett laughed sharply.
“You’re not a lawyer.”
“No,” Caroline said. “I am.”
She looked at Garrett.
“And he’s describing the problem accurately.”
Bianca stood.
“I didn’t know about Meridian.”
Garrett ignored her.
“I said sit down.”
She didn’t.
It was a small thing.
But by then, small things mattered.
Martin pulled up the Meridian ownership structure.
Garrett controlled sixty percent.
Harlan appeared to control twenty.
The remaining twenty belonged to an entity called BD Future Trust.
Bianca stared at the screen.
“What is that?”
Garrett said nothing.
Martin checked.
“Beneficiary initials are B.D.”
Every eye turned toward Bianca.
Her face went from confusion to horror.
“You put shares in my name?”
Garrett finally spoke.
“For after the IPO.”
“I never signed anything.”
“You didn’t need to.”
Her eyes widened.
That was when I realized something important.
Bianca was guilty of many things.
Sleeping with my husband.
Taking a seat she knew belonged to me.
Allowing Garrett to humiliate me publicly.
Maybe accepting money she should have questioned.
But Garrett had also been using her as part of his paper trail.
Another woman he assumed would remain grateful enough not to look closely.
Bianca turned toward me.
“You think I knew all of this.”
“I think you knew enough.”
Her face crumpled slightly.
That was all the sympathy I had available.
Garrett moved toward the door.
“We’re done.”
Helen stood.
“No.”
He stopped.
“As chair of the audit committee, I’m calling for an emergency vote to suspend all related-party transactions pending investigation.”
“I’m CEO.”
“You are not the board.”
The old hierarchy was collapsing faster than Garrett could adjust.
Harlan spoke next.
“I support the motion.”
Garrett stared at him.
“You’re in those entities.”
“And apparently I don’t understand what you did with them.”
“Don’t pretend you’re innocent.”
“I’m not.”
Harlan’s voice became quieter.
“But I’m beginning to understand you intended for me to be the first person blamed.”
That was probably true.
The motion passed.
Ten votes.
One abstention.
Garrett voted against.
Bianca had no vote.
I did not need to vote.
Then Helen made another motion.
Suspend Garrett’s authority over material financial transactions pending the forensic review.
This one passed nine to two.
Garrett laughed.
“You think Rosalie can run this company?”
I surprised him.
“I don’t want your job.”
He stared.
“Then what do you want?”
“The truth.”
I looked around the boardroom.
“And I want eight thousand employees to still have jobs after we find it.”
That silenced everyone.
Calling the debt immediately would have been satisfying.
It also could have destroyed innocent people.
I instructed Northbridge to offer a temporary standstill provided West cooperated fully with the audit.
Garrett looked at me as if he couldn’t decide whether restraint was weakness.
He still hadn’t learned.
Then Martin’s phone rang again.
This time he put it on speaker.
An auditor spoke.
“We found undisclosed guarantees associated with Blue Horizon.”
Christopher frowned.
“What guarantees?”
“Mr. West personally negotiated side letters with three vendors.”
“How much exposure?” I asked.
A pause.
“One hundred twelve million dollars.”
Martin closed his eyes.
The auditor continued.
“And there’s more.”
The guarantee wasn’t merely signed by Garrett.
It was secured against assets belonging to a West Enterprises subsidiary.
Assets Garrett had no board authority to pledge.
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