Chapter 20 - The Last Bargain

The hearing was scheduled quickly because Grant alleged that Harborlight was at immediate risk. I wore a plain navy dress and the necklace my grandmother had given me when I opened our first building.

Grant sat across the aisle in a gray suit. He looked older. His mother wasn't there. His attorney argued that my decisions had become erratic and that a prior marital agreement entitled W Holdings to temporary voting authority.

Theo stood. “The supposed agreement is disputed as forged. My client declined to sign the form at issue, and an active investigation concerns the underlying documents.”

The judge asked to see the original. Grant's attorney couldn't produce one signed in my presence. The court declined to grant the emergency transfer and set a later schedule for any remaining claims.

It wasn't fireworks. No one banged a gavel and announced that justice had won. The hearing ended with paperwork, instructions, and relief so heavy I had to sit down.

In the corridor Grant approached while Theo and a court officer remained nearby.

“Claire,” he said. “I loved you.”

“Maybe you loved the way my company looked on a balance sheet.”

“You know me better than that.”

“I thought I did.”

His eyes reddened. “My family put pressure on me. They were going to lose everything.”

“So you decided I should lose everything instead.”

He glanced at the officer and lowered his voice. “If you help me, I can make all of this easier.”

“There it is,” I said. “Another deal.”

“I can tell them Mom made me do it.”

“Tell the truth to the people investigating you. Don't bargain with me.”

He looked at my bare left hand. My wedding ring was gone.

“You already decided,” he said.

“Yes.”

For the first time, he had nothing he could offer that I wanted.

I began seeing a counselor who never demanded a tidy lesson from the experience. Some weeks we talked about the marriage. Other weeks we talked about sleep, money, and how I tensed when someone raised a hand to hail a taxi.

As I turned away, he called after me: “You think they'll ever believe a woman who flipped a table?”

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I stopped, looked back, and said, “They can believe the evidence.”

Then Theo's phone rang. The prosecutor's office wanted a meeting about formal charges.