Chapter 8 - Nathan Steps Aside
Nathan offered to resign temporarily as chief executive.
The board refused.
Instead, they appointed independent director Martha Sloan to lead special committee and required Nathan to recuse from all matters involving Colin, BlueCurrent vendor diligence, and yacht-related fraud.
He hated it.
That meant it was probably right.
At home, he paced.
“I built the company.”
“You still did.”
“I should be in room.”
“You’re compromised.”
“By what?”
“Me.”
He stopped.
“Don’t.”
“It’s true. I was assaulted. Colin is accused of helping target me. You can’t neutrally investigate your best friend.”
“He isn’t my friend.”
“He was.”
Nathan looked away.
I put down tea.
“You need to let the process work.”
He laughed bitterly.
“You sound like counsel.”
“I invoice by hour.”
That got tiny smile.
Then he said:
“I should have told you the Aurelia was ours.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“I thought you’d refuse gala if you thought it was a Carter property.”
“Probably.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know about Mariner Crown before?”
“Only that family office auditors questioned event costs.”
“Did you connect to Colin?”
“No.”
“Did you tell me to wear sapphires because crew would identify me?”
He looked guilty.
“Partly.”
“Nathan.”
“I asked Monroe to treat the woman in champagne dress with sapphire earrings as my guest if there were any issues.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew I might arrive late.”
“So the earrings were a recognition cue.”
“Yes.”
“You could have said that.”
“I wanted romance.”
“You are terrible at romance.”
“Apparently.”
We laughed.
Then I got angry again.
“You suspected irregularities enough to brief captain?”
“No. I brief captain because you were arriving alone and our marriage is private.”
Reasonable.
Still annoying.
Marriage survived honesty better than surprises.
Meanwhile, press found Veronica’s payment.
Her reputation collapsed.
Boards removed her.
Invitations disappeared.
She issued statement taking responsibility for “a terrible act committed in anger” while denying intent to kill.
I believed part.
Not forgiveness.
Fact.
Prosecutors negotiated.
Her lawyer wanted plea to felony assault with sentencing range.
State wanted enhancement for dangerous setting and witness intimidation? She had also tried to have security eject me. Could be aggravation, not separate.
Civil suit was easy.
I filed for medical costs, lost work, emotional distress, and punitive damages.
Not $100 million.
My lawyer said:
“Juries hate absurd demands.”
We sought reasonable.
Veronica’s insurer denied intentional act coverage for punitive components.
Her personal assets exposed.
That mattered.
Adrian Vale remained free while investigation expanded.
Foundation placed him on leave.
He resigned before termination vote.
His lawyer said he would “fully cooperate.”
He did not initially.
Then investigators found his offshore account.
Not dramatic Caribbean briefcase.
A disclosed Cayman investment account legal by itself.
Transfers from Mariner Crown.
$2.4 million.
Adrian’s income could not explain.
He was charged months later with wire fraud, conspiracy, and nonprofit theft-related offenses under applicable law.
Colin not yet charged.
Why delay?
Because investigators were tracing BlueCurrent.
Nathan hated waiting.
So did I.
Then Tessa called.
“I found something that could explain why Colin knew about your invitation.”
“What?”
“The invitation system sent an automatic daily guest export.”
“To whom?”
“Foundation staff and yacht owner liaison.”
“Who was owner liaison?”
She hesitated.
“Carter Meridian finance.”
“Who?”
“Colin Mercer.”
My invitation appeared in his inbox eleven days before gala.
He had known I was coming long before Tessa contacted him.
That meant when she later raised suspicious invoices, he immediately understood the one independent consultant she had invited was his boss’s wife.
May you like
He was not reacting to a surprise.
He had time to plan.
