Chương 4 - Câu Chuyện Của Những Cái Tên

“I knew you had consultants.”

“You knew who Derek was.”

“I knew Derek was your cousin. I did not know he owned CCG.”

Ryan laughed once.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Lauren’s face went white.

Ellen kept going.

“There’s also an email chain involving two distribution accounts.”

She slid another document toward Lauren.

Ryan said, “We don’t need to do this.”

Marsha spoke for the first time.

“Yes, we do.”

Lauren read the email.

Her expression changed as she moved down the page.

“What is Lakeview Wholesale?”

Ryan didn’t answer.

Ellen did.

“A broker associated with Carter Commercial Group.”

Lauren looked at Ryan.

“You told me they were a potential regional partner.”

“They are.”

“The email says you wanted Bennett to release two exclusivity agreements so Lakeview could take the accounts.”

“It would have been a better margin structure.”

“For who?”

Ryan said nothing.

I watched my daughter realize something in real time.

She had believed she was building power with her husband.

Now she was seeing that he had been building something beside her.

Possibly through her.

Lauren dropped the paper.

“This has nothing to do with Mom’s shares.”

“No,” I said. “It doesn’t.”

She looked at me sharply.

“And that has nothing to do with Noah’s last name.”

“No.”

That surprised her.

I leaned forward.

“You changing your son’s name hurt me.”

She opened her mouth.

I kept going.

“You doing it while your father was dying and hiding it from him hurt more.”

Ryan looked away.

“But neither of those things is why we’re here.”

I tapped the documents.

“This is.”

Lauren’s eyes filled with anger.

“I didn’t steal anything.”

“I didn’t say you did.”

“You’re removing me.”

“We’re considering whether you exercised appropriate oversight.”

“I have been running this company for almost a year.”

“Yes.”

“While Dad was sick.”

“Yes.”

“While you disappeared.”

That one hit.

I let it.

Because it was partly true.

I had disappeared.

Into hospitals.

Medication schedules.

Hospice nurses.

Insurance calls.

Into sleeping on a couch next to Michael because he woke frightened at three in the morning and pretended he wasn’t.

I said, “Your father was dying.”

Lauren looked away.

Frank cleared his throat.

“Lauren, did you disclose the Carter relationship?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I didn’t know the ownership structure.”

Marsha asked, “Did you ask?”

“No.”

“Did you approve the payments?”

“Yes.”

“Did you approve Ryan’s proposal involving the distribution accounts?”

Lauren looked at the email again.

“I approved an exploratory discussion. I did not approve transferring customers.”

Ryan said, “That’s not what you said at home.”

She turned on him.

“Stop talking.”

The board recessed for twenty minutes.

When we came back, Ryan was removed from the room.

Lauren stayed.

Frank delivered the motion.

Lauren would be removed as president and CEO effective immediately.

Her access to company systems would be suspended pending the review.

She would remain employed only through a short administrative transition while counsel reviewed the records.

The vote was three to one.

Lauren voted against.

I did not enjoy it.

I need that understood.

I had imagined plenty of confrontations with my daughter over the previous week.

None of them ended with her sitting across from me with swollen eyes while an attorney collected her access card.

But when the vote was finished, Lauren looked at me and said the one thing I had been dreading.

“You planned this.”

“No.”

“You waited until Dad died.”

I stared at her.

“You think I waited for your father to die so I could take back a job I gave you?”

“You never wanted me to have it.”

Michael would have laughed at that.

He had spent years telling me I was too hard on Lauren.

I said, “Your father pushed for your promotion more than I did.”

“Because he believed in me.”

“Yes.”

“And now you’re throwing me out.”

“Because I found evidence that required board action.”

She stood.

“I’m your only child.”

I didn’t respond.

She took a step toward me.

“Who exactly do you think you’re saving this company for?”

“Sit down.”

“No.”

“Lauren.”

“You and Dad spent my whole life telling me this would be mine someday.”

“Someday is not today.”

“He’s dead.”

The sentence hit the table like broken glass.

Lauren seemed to hear herself only after she said it.

Her mouth opened.

Then closed.

I said quietly, “Yes. He is.”

Tears spilled down her face.

She wiped them angrily.

“So what? You’re going to leave it to strangers now?”

“No.”

“Then who?”

I looked at Olivia.

She knew what I was asking.

She opened her briefcase.

Lauren followed my eyes.

“What is that?”

I said, “You asked what I meant at the funeral home.”

Her face went blank.

“No.”

“You wanted to know what I never told you.”

“Mom, don’t.”

“We can do this privately.”

She looked around the room.

Frank and Marsha were still there.

Ellen had begun gathering her papers.

Lauren laughed bitterly.

“Now you care about privacy?”