The next morning, the general counsel contacted me.
The board had agreed to hold a formal review meeting.
Julian would be invited to respond to the preliminary findings.
The accountant would present the supporting records.
The purpose was to establish what had happened before any decision was made about executive responsibilities.
I agreed.
I wanted the process to be fair.
I also wanted it to be thorough.
The meeting was scheduled for the following afternoon.
I arrived at Aurelia's headquarters early.
Malcolm was waiting outside the boardroom.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
He opened the door.
The accountant was arranging his papers.
The general counsel had prepared a list of questions.
I took my seat.
Julian arrived several minutes later.
He wore a dark suit.
His tie was perfectly straight.
He greeted Malcolm.
Then he looked at me.
"Audrey."
"Julian."
He sat opposite us.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The general counsel began.
"This meeting concerns certain transactions identified during the independent financial review."
Julian folded his hands.
"I understand."
The accountant opened the blue folder.
He began explaining the payment patterns.
He showed several invoices.
He showed the approval records.
He explained why certain vendor charges had been flagged.
Julian listened.
At first, he appeared calm.
Then the accountant displayed a series of transactions that had been approved through the strategy department.
Julian leaned forward.
"Those were operational expenses."
The accountant nodded.
"Some were recorded that way."
"Then what's the issue?"
"The supporting documentation does not adequately establish the services corresponding to several payments."
Julian looked toward the general counsel.
"Our department handled dozens of vendor relationships."
"That is understood."
"These were not unusual expenses."
The accountant turned a page.
"Some of the amounts and approval patterns differed from the company's normal procedures."
Julian shook his head.
"That doesn't mean anything improper happened."
The general counsel spoke.
"We are not making a conclusion at this meeting. We are asking you to explain the records."
Julian leaned back.
I watched him carefully.
He had been confident when he believed the room belonged to him.
Now he seemed uncomfortable answering questions.
The accountant continued.
"Can you explain the business purpose of these particular payments?"
Julian examined the document.
He took several seconds.
Then he said that the payments related to external strategic support.
The accountant asked for the supporting contracts.
Julian said the department should have them.
The general counsel asked whether he could identify who had approved the underlying work.
Julian mentioned several employees.
The accountant wrote down their names.
Then he moved to another group of transactions.
Julian's expression changed.
"These are separate matters."
"Yes," the accountant replied. "They are listed separately."
Julian looked toward me.
"Audrey, surely you understand how complicated these operations can be."
I looked at him.
"I understand that records need to support company expenses."
He looked away.
The general counsel continued asking questions.
Some answers were clear.
Others were incomplete.
A few required additional documents.
The meeting lasted longer than expected.
By the end, Julian appeared exhausted.
The general counsel explained that the review would continue.
He also informed Julian that the board would consider temporary changes to certain financial approval responsibilities while the examination remained open.
Julian immediately objected.
"You're removing my authority?"
"We are reviewing the appropriate safeguards."
"This is humiliating."
Malcolm looked at him.
"The company has a responsibility to protect its finances."
Julian turned toward me.
"Is this what you wanted?"
I looked at him.
"No. I wanted the truth."
He pushed his chair back.
"You're making this personal."
I kept my voice calm.
"The investigation is about company records."
He stared at me.
Then he gathered his papers.
The general counsel asked him to remain until the meeting was formally concluded.
Julian sat back down.
I looked at the accountant's folder.
There were still questions to answer.
I didn't know how many.
But I knew the review could not stop because Julian disliked the attention.
When the meeting ended, Malcolm walked with me toward the elevators.
"That was difficult."
"Yes."
"He may become more defensive."
I nodded.
"I expected that."
Malcolm looked at me.
"Are you comfortable with the process?"
"Yes. As long as it remains fair."
He agreed.
The elevator doors opened.
I stepped inside.
As they began closing, I saw Julian standing at the end of the hallway.
He was looking at the documents in his hands.
For the first time since I had known him, he seemed unsure of what to do next.
I didn't feel victorious.
I felt the weight of the decisions ahead.
Click here to continue reading: PART 12: When Julian Asked Me to Protect His Position, I Realized He Still Couldn’t Understand What His Actions Had Cost Me
My Husband Wanted Me Gone Before the Biggest Announcement of His Career, But He Had No Idea Why I Had Come
Part 11 of 20
