Chapter 17 - VICTORIA’S OFFER
Victoria offered me twelve million dollars.
Not personally in an envelope.
A global civil settlement proposal.
Terms:
Resolve trade-secret lawsuit.
Resolve marital-property disputes with Julian.
Fund Elodie’s education trust.
Purchase my interest in the marital home.
Mutual nondisparagement.
Confidentiality.
No voluntary cooperation beyond legally compelled testimony.
That last term ended it.
Naomi said:
“They cannot stop you complying with subpoenas.”
“They want me to become difficult.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
The offer increased.
Fifteen million.
No.
Then Victoria sent a personal letter through counsel.
Sloane, you are destroying the company that will one day support your daughter.
I laughed.
Elodie had been alive six weeks.
Already assigned responsibility for preserving a corporation under indictment.
I responded only through counsel:
My daughter’s support will not depend on my silence.
Nothing else.
Harrow Response’s federal contracts were suspended pending review.
Other Harrow subsidiaries continued.
Employees at Response faced uncertainty.
That hurt.
They did not create the vendor scheme.
A government-appointed monitor? Not exactly. The board created an independent compliance committee and negotiated with agencies.
Several contracts were allowed to continue temporarily because hospitals needed supplies.
Again:
No theatrical shutdown.
Systems had to protect services while investigating misconduct.
May you like
Victoria called that government weakness.
I called it adult responsibility.
