Chapter 16 - Friday at Five
At four fifty on Friday, our lender still hadn't agreed to extend the deadline.
Esther sat across from me in the old conference room, both hands wrapped around a mug of untouched tea. Maya was on the phone with the company's separate counsel, making sure our divorce case and my personal interests weren't being confused with the company's negotiations.
Theo waited near the door with Alicia. Neither had asked me for reassurances I couldn't give.
At five, the lender's representative called. She would accept a thirty-day review period if the company supplied audited cash forecasts, paused discretionary executive expenses, and secured a modest bridge contribution approved by the board. Failure to meet those conditions would reopen every option, including a sale.
It wasn't salvation. It was enough time to work honestly.
The buyer refused to keep its offer open on the old terms. Esther confirmed that the company would not proceed with Friday's transaction. The board approved a temporary operating plan and placed Nathan on paid administrative leave pending its review of the conflict disclosures and financial decisions. It wasn't an arrest or a confession. It was a company finally admitting it needed to look at its own leadership.
Nathan appeared in the doorway after the meeting. His attorney followed several steps behind.
“I loved you,” Nathan said.
I thought of the careful way he'd helped me choose a wedding cake, the nights he'd brought soup when I worked late at the museum, and the moment he'd raised his hand in the showroom.
“Maybe you loved the version of me who never asked questions.”
He stared at the floor. “I never wanted it to end like this.”
“Then you should have made a different choice before you touched me.”
His attorney guided him away. I was grateful. I wasn't ready for another apology that asked me to carry the weight of his actions.
By evening, the special committee had referred the questionable document to independent counsel for further examination. Maya continued pursuing the civil challenge and the divorce. The criminal investigation into the assault remained separate. None of those outcomes would happen overnight.
On the sidewalk, Alicia asked whether we had won.
“We have thirty days,” I said.
May you like
She rubbed her hands together against the cold. “Then we have work tomorrow.”
I watched her walk back toward the workshop with Theo. I had won the power to make a decision, only to discover the real decision began after everyone went home.
