Not at first.”
That frightened him more than an accusation would have.
By the time we reached the parking level, Richard was already calling Jessica.
She did not answer.
He called again.
Then again.
Each unanswered call stripped another layer from his certainty.
“She’s probably with the children,” he muttered.
I said nothing.
He drove too fast back toward Hawthorne Meridian headquarters.
Halfway there, Jessica finally called him.
Richard answered through the car speakers.
“Where are you?”
Her voice was cautious.
“At home.
Why?”
“I need to see you.
Now.”
“Richard, I have—”
“Now, Jessica.”
He disconnected.
Then he looked at me.
“You’re going home.”
“No.”
He blinked.
I had disagreed with him before, but rarely in that tone.
“Excuse me?”
“You asked who else knows.
There are other things you should know before you speak to Jessica.”
His hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“What have you done?”
I looked out the window.
“I paid attention.”
That afternoon, we did not go to Jessica’s apartment.
We went to the attorney’s office.
Richard resisted until I told him the board would receive a financial disclosure package by the end of the week unless the matter was addressed formally.
He changed direction immediately.
The attorney placed three binders on the conference table when we arrived.
Richard stared at them.
“What is this supposed to be?”
The attorney answered calmly.
“Records Mrs.
Hawthorne preserved from accounts and documents she was authorized to access.”
Richard looked at me.
“You went through my company records?”
“Our marital finances intersect with those records, and you repeatedly routed personal expenses through entities connected to Hawthorne Meridian.”
The attorney opened the first binder.
Jessica’s apartment lease payments.
Luxury purchases.
Private travel.
Childcare expenses.
Transfers concealed beneath vague business descriptions.
The second binder contained emails.
Richard promising Jessica that future company shares would secure the children’s position.
Richard discussing trust structures that had never been approved.
Richard describing me as an obstacle who would eventually be “handled.”
