The board meeting took place the following afternoon.
Dominic left home wearing a dark gray suit.
He barely looked at me.
I was helping Sophia put her shoes on when he walked past us.
"Daddy?"
He stopped.
Sophia stood up.
"Are you coming home early?"
He bent down.
"I'll try."
She smiled.
"Can we make pancakes tonight?"
He looked at her for a moment.
"Maybe tomorrow."
She nodded.
Then she hugged him.
He held her briefly before leaving.
I watched the door close.
There was a time when I would have followed him outside.
I would have reminded him about dinner.
I would have asked him to call if he was late.
I didn't do any of those things.
I simply helped Sophia find her schoolbag.
That afternoon, Victor called.
"The board has completed its initial review."
I sat down.
"What did they decide?"
"They've asked Dominic to provide a formal explanation regarding the company's financing arrangements and his disclosures to the board."
"Is that all?"
"For now."
"Has he been suspended?"
"Not permanently. Certain financial responsibilities remain restricted while the review continues."
I looked toward the kitchen.
"Is he still in the building?"
"Yes."
I waited.
Then Victor added:
"They've also asked him to clarify his understanding of the Sterling-linked investments."
I closed my eyes.
"How did he respond?"
"He says he wasn't aware of the family connection."
I wasn't surprised.
"Is that enough?"
"No. They want to know what he knew about the actual terms, not just the names behind the institutions."
That made sense.
A person could be unaware of an investor's family connection and still be responsible for understanding the company's obligations.
Victor continued.
"He's been given time to provide documents and answer questions."
I nodded.
"Good."
I didn't want anyone making a decision without hearing the evidence.
Later that afternoon, Dominic came home earlier than expected.
He placed his briefcase on the table.
His face was pale.
I was sitting with Sophia, helping her finish a school assignment.
He stood near the doorway.
"Can we talk?"
I looked at Sophia.
"Give me a minute, sweetheart."
She took her coloring pencils into the next room.
Dominic sat opposite me.
"They gave me a deadline."
"For what?"
"To provide a complete explanation of the company's financing."
I nodded.
"Then provide it."
He looked at me.
"You make it sound simple."
"It isn't simple. But it's necessary."
He opened his briefcase and removed a document.
"They're questioning things that were approved years ago."
I looked at the paper.
"Did you sign them?"
"Some of them."
"Then explain what you understood when you signed."
He rubbed his face.
"You don't understand how business works."
I looked at him.
"I understand that signatures matter."
He placed the document down.
There was his name again.
Dominic Hayes.
The same signature I had seen on birthday cards, school forms, and holiday reservations.
Now it appeared beneath an agreement he had apparently never bothered to explain to me.
I pushed the document back.
"Talk to your lawyers."
He stared at me.
"You're not going to help?"
"I am not your lawyer."
"You're my wife."
I looked at him.
"That used to mean something to me."
He lowered his eyes.
For a moment, I thought he might apologize.
Instead, he said:
"Victor could stop this."
I shook my head.
"Victor didn't sign your documents."
Dominic stood abruptly.
"You think you're better than me now?"
"No."
I stood too.
"I think I'm finally allowed to ask questions."
He looked toward the hallway.
Sophia was standing there.
She had heard enough to understand that something was wrong.
"Mommy?"
I immediately softened my voice.
"Come here, sweetheart."
She walked toward me.
Dominic stepped back.
I held her hand.
"Go finish your drawing."
She nodded and returned to the other room.
I turned toward him again.
"Don't argue with me in front of her."
He looked exhausted.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
I couldn't hear the other person clearly.
But I heard Dominic say:
"Yes, I understand."
A pause.
"Tomorrow?"
Another pause.
"All right."
He ended the call.
"What happened?" I asked.
He put his phone away.
"The board wants another meeting."
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
He picked up his briefcase.
Then he looked at the document on the table.
For several seconds, he stood without moving.
I watched him.
I had spent years believing Dominic was a man who could solve any problem.
But the documents were still there.
The questions were still there.
And for once, he couldn't charm his way past them.
I returned to Sophia's drawing.
She had drawn a small house with three windows.
There were two people standing outside.
Me and her.
Then she added another figure.
A little distance away.
It was her father.
I looked at the picture.
She hadn't erased him.
Not yet.
I placed it carefully on the table to dry.
That evening, I received a message from Victor.
The board has requested further records. The review will continue tomorrow.
I put the phone down.
No celebration.
No victory.
Just another day of waiting for the truth to become impossible to avoid.
Click here to continue reading: PART 13: The Second Board Meeting Revealed How Much Dominic Had Hidden, and Even His Closest Business Partners Stopped Defending Him
The Little Girl With a Handmade Gift Was About to Discover That Her Father Had Built a Second Family
Part 12 of 20
