Chapter 6 - The First Invoice
The agreement was signed fourteen months earlier.
Camilla Price.
Adrian Price.
Meridian Influence LLC.
Camilla would receive thirty percent of “net distributable profits attributable to strategic introductions and brand development support.”
No formal equity.
That was how she had told vendor onboarding she was not an owner.
Technically.
But Aurelia conflict policy did not only ask ownership.
It asked:
Any direct or indirect financial interest.
Any familial relationship.
Any compensation arrangement.
Camilla disclosed none.
Then Meridian invoices began.
The first:
Aurelia Product Relaunch Narrative Strategy.
$62,000.
Market work perhaps twenty five to thirty.
Second:
Executive Positioning and Media Architecture.
$84,000.
Third:
Stakeholder Sentiment Monitoring.
$71,500.
Nathan’s team collected deliverables.
Some real.
Slide decks.
Press lists.
Message documents.
But many copied.
One “sentiment report” used publicly available social media analytics and cost Meridian perhaps eight thousand dollars.
Aurelia paid seventy one thousand.
Then Camilla received quarterly “profit participation” transfers.
Total documented:
$186,000.
Not millions.
Enough.
Then Adrian took salary/profit.
Fine if disclosed and fair.
Not if hidden conflict and inflated invoices.
Julian’s role.
He approved vendor onboarding exception because Meridian had “unique crisis communications expertise.”
He approved rates.
He approved invoice overrides.
He answered finance question “no conflict.”
Did he know Camilla’s profit share?
Messages.
Camilla to Julian:
Adrian finally agreed thirty percent.
Julian:
Good. Then stop complaining about comp.
There.
He knew.
Then:
Camilla:
Olivia keeps asking whether Meridian is family.
Julian:
Tell her Price isn’t exactly rare.
Camilla:
She knows Adrian.
Julian:
Then I’ll handle Olivia.
That was worse.
Retaliation.
Then a later message.
Camilla:
First quarter check came.
Julian:
Drinks on you.
No direct kickback to him yet.
But knowledge.
Then Julian's AmEx reimbursement.
Nathan traced because Camilla voluntarily produced a Meridian expense ledger.
Meridian reimbursed Julian $38,400 for a private luxury resort trip to Cabo labeled “executive client cultivation.”
Who attended?
Julian.
Camilla.
No client.
Hotel records? Meridian paid villas.
Aurelia had separately paid airfare for a supposed strategy retreat in San Diego that same week.
False business purpose.
Then another.
Meridian bought a $14,700 watch.
Recipient code JV.
Julian claimed personal gift from Camilla later.
Could be.
Corporate bribery? Vendor with financial relationship giving executive a watch after approvals. Significant.
Then my stomach turned.
I had seen that watch.
Julian wore it on our anniversary dinner.
He told me Malcolm gave it after a deal.
I remembered admiring.
“Malcolm has good taste.”
Julian smiled.
“He knows value.”
Lie layered into marriage.
Then Nathan found no paper check to Julian yet.
But there was a transfer from Meridian to Ashwell Advisory LLC.
$75,000.
Ashwell formed by Julian’s college roommate, Patrick Lane.
Services?
“Market strategy consultation.”
Deliverables minimal.
Then Ashwell paid $60,000 toward Julian’s private brokerage account? Need bank info. Could be voluntary from Patrick? Let's not assume. Special committee subpoena not possible unless litigation. They requested and Patrick cooperated after counsel. He admitted Ashwell was pass through.
“Julian asked me to invoice Meridian for consulting and send him remainder as repayment of old personal loan.”
Was there old loan?
Patrick said Julian had lent him ten thousand years ago, not sixty.
No documentation.
This looked like kickback.
Then Julian’s attorney stopped voluntary interview.
Good.
He had right.
Aurelia now had enough to refer findings to law enforcement for potential fraud/commercial bribery and tax issues.
Elena recommended.
Special committee voted.
I did not.
No conflict.
Then company employment process.
Even without criminal outcome, clear policy violations:
Undisclosed conflict.
False statement to finance.
Retaliation against Olivia.
Improper gifts/travel.
Potential misuse funds.
The independent board terminated Julian for cause.
Camilla too.
No severance beyond accrued amounts required.
Julian’s unvested equity canceled under plan.
Vested shares remained subject shareholder agreement.
He owned less than one percent.
Northstar could not simply confiscate.
Then Aurelia issued internal note.
No salacious affair.
No earrings.
“Following independent review, Julian Vance and Camilla Price have been terminated for violations of conflict, vendor, and financial control policies.”
That was enough.
Employees talked anyway.
Then Julian filed demand against company claiming wrongful termination and retaliation by controlling shareholder wife.
Predictable.
His lawyer argued Audrey’s personal motive tainted process.
The special committee’s independence became crucial.
I had recused.
No board seat.
No investigation interviews.
No final vote.
Documentation protected.
Then my divorce petition was filed same day.
Not coordinated.
Claire wanted separate.
Grounds under state no fault? Texas allows insupportability and fault, but user maybe Dallas. We can file insupportability and preserve claims re separate property. No need adultery. Fine.
Julian received service at his attorney’s office.
He called.
“You filed the same day they fired me.”
“Yes.”
“You planned.”
“No.”
“Bullshit.”
I remained quiet.
Then:
“You always thought you were better than me.”
There.
It came out.
Not about affair.
Not company.
Me.
“You hid who you were.”
“No.”
“You let me think you were nothing.”
I closed eyes.
“I told you what I did.”
“You never said billions.”
Northstar worth? Could be billions? Let's avoid number. “You never said scale.” Better.
“You never asked.”
“That is not answer.”
“It is.”
Then he whispered:
“If I had known…”
“What?”
He stopped.
I waited.
“What would you have done differently?”
Silence.
There was no answer he could give without condemning himself.
If he had known I was powerful, he would have treated me better.
That was not love.
It was risk management.
Then he hung up.
Two days later, Camilla asked through attorneys to return another item.
Not jewelry.
A flash drive.
It contained every private message between her and Julian for eighteen months.
May you like
She had saved them.
Because even while sleeping with him, she had never trusted him.
