“Tonight,” he declared, “we honor not merely Brandon and Emily’s engagement, but the joining of two remarkable families.”
He stopped briefly, staring straight toward me.
“Naturally, certain relatives have accomplished substantially more than their counterparts.”
The audience responded with restrained laughter.
My mother’s face flushed, although she remained silent.
Richard went on.
“Next month, I anticipate being named Whitmore Global’s next chief operating officer.”
I almost laughed aloud.
No such promotion had been approved.
Actually, Daniel had spent six weeks examining Richard’s involvement in questionable vendor agreements, unusual consulting expenditures, and attempts to discourage employees from reporting accounting concerns.
The findings indicated approximately $4.6 million might have been redirected through businesses associated with Richard’s brother.
However, questionable payments alone weren’t sufficient.
I wanted evidence establishing his intentions.
Richard willingly supplied it.
“Victoria,” he shouted from the stage, “join me.”
Emily caught my wrist.
“Please,” she murmured. “Don’t make things difficult.”
I walked toward the microphone.
Richard offered me an envelope.
“Think of this as a special gift from our family.”
Inside, I found an employment application.
Administrative assistant.
Annual salary: $38,000.
Laughter spread throughout the ballroom.
“Because you’re becoming family,” Richard explained, “we’d like to help you establish a more respectable career.”
I carefully folded the document.
“How thoughtful,” I replied evenly. “But Richard, is Whitmore Global’s senior leadership aware that you’re offering employment and promising promotions without proper authorization?”
His expression briefly tightened.
“I practically am senior leadership.”
“How fascinating.”
Patricia approached the microphone.
“That’s enough. You’re only making yourself look foolish.”
Then Brandon committed his biggest mistake.
He picked up my handbag from an adjacent table.
“Let’s discover what this secretive consultant carries around.”
“Please put that back,” I said firmly.
He ignored my request and opened it.
His face shifted when he noticed a leather portfolio holding confidential acquisition paperwork.
“Where did you obtain these?”
He raised the papers overhead.
“Dad! She has confidential Whitmore Global records!”
Richard’s expression hardened.
He took the portfolio and examined several documents.
Then his eyes returned to mine.
“How did you obtain these?”
“They came from my office.”
“You have no office at Whitmore Global.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
Richard stepped nearer.
“Understand this clearly. Those papers are company property. You’ll return them immediately and sign a confidentiality agreement tonight, or I’ll ensure nobody in this industry ever hires you again.”
I briefly checked my phone.
Daniel had entered the private video meeting I had scheduled with our compliance director.
Both were listening carefully.
“Is that supposed to be a threat?” I asked.
