CHAPTER 16: WHEN THE BOARD ASKED QUESTIONS
Grant’s investment business had a small board of directors and outside investors. The company was already under pressure from a failed property development, a fact he had carefully hidden from me. Once the lender’s inquiry began, board members requested documentation about the proposed collateral and the use of family trust assets. Grant called me repeatedly, insisting I was sabotaging him. I responded once through Helena: I would cooperate with lawful requests and protect my property. Nothing more. The board placed him on administrative leave while an independent review proceeded. I learned the news from a formal notice, not from gossip. That mattered. I wanted a process that would survive scrutiny, not a headline. Grant’s assistant eventually provided records showing that he had directed staff to prepare documents with my signature copied from an earlier transaction. Her statement did not establish every disputed fact, but it supported the growing record. I was asked whether I wanted to pursue criminal allegations. Helena explained that investigators, not I, would decide what charges the evidence justified. I submitted what I knew and answered their questions. Then I went home and helped June assemble a model of the solar system. She painted Jupiter with careful orange stripes. When she held it up, she smiled in a way I had not seen since the birthday party. That small smile felt like the first true victory.
