I woke up the next morning with a message from Julian.
There were no missed calls.
No explanation.
Just a photograph of a flower arrangement.
White roses.
The kind he used to send me on our wedding anniversary.
His message said:
"I hope we can put last night behind us."
I stared at the screen.
Then I placed my phone on the bedside table.
Last night.
That was how he described it.
Not the months of lying.
Not the missing earrings.
Not the woman he had been holding in front of two hundred employees.
Just one uncomfortable evening.
I got out of bed.
My shoulder was still sore, especially when I lifted my arm.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and examined the area beneath the dress strap.
There was a faint mark.
Nothing dramatic.
But enough to remind me what had happened.
I changed into a white blouse and dark trousers.
Then I went downstairs.
The house was quiet.
Julian hadn't come home.
I wasn't surprised.
He had probably stayed somewhere near the hotel or gone to Camilla's apartment.
I didn't ask.
I made coffee and opened my laptop.
There were several emails waiting.
The first came from Malcolm.
The board meeting had been scheduled for nine thirty.
The second came from the general counsel.
He had attached the preliminary review documents and requested confirmation that I would attend.
I replied that I would.
Then I opened the message from Julian again.
I read it one more time.
"I hope we can put last night behind us."
I typed a response.
Then deleted it.
I tried again.
Then deleted that too.
Finally, I wrote nothing.
There was no point explaining something he already understood.
At nine fifteen, I arrived at Aurelia's headquarters.
The building was quieter than I expected.
Employees were beginning their workday.
A few people recognized me from the anniversary celebration.
One man stood near the elevators and nodded.
"Good morning, Ms. Vance."
"Good morning."
Another employee smiled.
I returned the greeting.
I didn't want anyone to feel uncomfortable around me.
I was the new majority owner, but I was also a person who had walked into that building for the first time not long ago.
I knew how much uncertainty employees could feel when ownership changed.
The boardroom was on the upper floor.
Malcolm was already there.
The general counsel sat beside him.
The forensic accountant had arranged several documents on the table.
Two other board members were present.
I took the chair beside Malcolm.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Audrey."
The meeting began with a review of the acquisition.
Northstar's controlling interest had been officially recorded.
The legal documents were complete.
The ownership transfer was effective.
Then we moved to the financial findings.
The accountant opened his report.
He explained that several vendor payments had been selected for review because their patterns differed from the company's usual expenses.
The payments had been approved through departments connected to strategy.
Some had been repeated over several months.
Others had been divided into smaller amounts.
The accountant explained the verification process.
He showed the approval records.
He showed the invoices.
He showed the dates.
I listened carefully.
I didn't interrupt.
When he finished, Malcolm asked a question.
"Have we established whether these payments were connected to legitimate services?"
The accountant answered carefully.
"Some remain under examination. Others have documentation that does not adequately support the amounts paid."
The general counsel made a note.
I looked at the accountant.
"Are the approvals traceable?"
"Yes."
"To individual authorization records?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"Then preserve everything."
"We have already secured the relevant records."
I looked toward Malcolm.
"We need to protect the company and the employees while this is investigated."
He agreed.
One board member asked whether Julian had been informed.
The general counsel explained that the matter would be addressed through the proper process.
I understood.
Julian was still an executive.
He had rights.
He also had responsibilities.
The board could not simply remove him because I was angry with him.
That was something I wanted everyone to remember.
Then Malcolm asked whether Julian had attended the meeting.
The general counsel checked his phone.
"No. He requested that we postpone his participation."
I looked down at the documents.
I wasn't surprised.
He probably wanted time to prepare an explanation.
The meeting continued.
We discussed the company's debt position.
We discussed canceled contracts.
We discussed the expansion project that had contributed to the financial pressure.
We discussed the employees whose positions had been protected through Northstar's investment.
It was nearly eleven when the accountant closed his folder.
The blue cover rested on the table.
I looked at it.
"Thank you. Please continue the review."
He nodded.
The meeting ended with several decisions about oversight and reporting.
Nothing was settled regarding Julian's future.
That would come later.
As I gathered my papers, Malcolm spoke quietly.
"How are you holding up?"
I smiled faintly.
"I'm managing."
He looked at my shoulder.
"Did you have it checked?"
"No. It's just sore."
He didn't press.
I thanked everyone and left the boardroom.
My phone vibrated before I reached the elevator.
Julian again.
This time, he had written:
"Please call me. We need to talk before this becomes something bigger."
I looked at the message.
Then I put the phone away.
It had already become something bigger.
He simply hadn't noticed until it affected him.
Click here to continue reading: PART 10: Julian Arrived at My Mother’s Investment Office and Discovered That the Woman He Had Never Taken Seriously Had Built a Life Beyond Him
My Husband Wanted Me Gone Before the Biggest Announcement of His Career, But He Had No Idea Why I Had Come
Part 9 of 20
