Chapter 17 - The Vote Edward Couldn’t Make
The board meeting began at nine.
The same hour Marcus had originally chosen for the refinancing vote that Naomi was never supposed to attend.
His chair remained empty.
Peter Lang’s did too.
Caroline sat at the far end of the table.
Naomi sat opposite Thomas Avery.
Two restructuring proposals appeared on screens.
Proposal One came from a private-equity consortium.
It preserved most Vale family equity.
It also required closing the Connecticut maintenance facility and eliminating approximately 170 jobs.
Proposal Two came from a consortium of regional banks and an employee investment fund.
It diluted the Vale family dramatically.
It preserved all three maintenance facilities and most jobs.
Financially, neither was perfect.
Morally, only one felt defensible.
Thomas looked at Naomi.
“You control the trust block.”
Not for long.
Part of the restructuring involved ending the special voting trust after closing.
Naomi had supported that.
This would be the last major decision Edward’s arrangement allowed her to influence.
Caroline spoke first.
“Proposal One preserves family ownership.”
Naomi looked at her.
“Yes.”
“It would have been Edward’s choice.”
“Probably.”
Caroline looked at the screens.
Then surprised everyone.
“That is why we should choose Proposal Two.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow.
Caroline continued.
“Edward loved Vale Meridian. But sometimes he loved owning it more than he loved what it was for.”
She looked at Naomi.
“I did too.”
No one interrupted.
“Marcus nearly destroyed this company because he believed losing control was the same as losing the company itself.”
Caroline folded her hands.
“I will not repeat that.”
The vote was taken.
Proposal Two passed.
Naomi voted last.
“Yes.”
One word.
Four decades of family control began ending.
No applause followed.
Restructuring was not a victory parade.
It meant dilution.
Asset sales.
New oversight.
Painful disclosures.
But employees would come to work Monday.
Clients would receive service.
Vale Meridian would continue without requiring the Vale family to own the future.
Afterward, Naomi remained in the empty conference room.
She touched Edward’s old brass key inside her pocket.
Thomas returned.
“You did the right thing.”
“I hope so.”
“You don’t sound convinced.”
“One hundred seventy jobs would have made the family wealthier.”
“And?”
“People like simple endings. Good choice, bad choice. But someone always pays.”
Thomas nodded.
“That doesn’t make the choices equal.”
Naomi looked at him.
“No.”
Her phone rang.
Detective Price.
The fake passport investigation had progressed.
Adrian Kessler, the consultant Caroline paid, admitted producing the document.
He claimed Caroline told him it was a theatrical security prop.
Evidence showed he knew it would be used in a financial deception.
Charges were being considered.
Samuel Dacre had returned through counsel.
He was negotiating cooperation.
Elliot Vance was placed on leave by Northstar.
Federal prosecutors were reviewing the financial case.
Still no dramatic arrests.
Just narrowing circles.
Naomi preferred that too.
At five, she met Leo at his therapist’s office.
Therapy had been his idea after his court attorney suggested it.
“I’m not crazy,” he had told Naomi.
“I know.”
“Then why therapy?”
“Because none of this is normal.”
He accepted that.
After the session, Leo asked to visit Marcus.
The request frightened Naomi.
“Why?”
“I want to ask him something.”
“You can ask during your scheduled visit.”
“I want you there.”
So they arranged a meeting at the supervised center.
Marcus entered slowly.
When he saw Naomi, surprise crossed his face.
Leo sat at a table between them.
For a while nobody spoke.
Then Leo removed his camera from his backpack.
Marcus stared at it.
“I brought this.”
“I see.”
Leo turned it in his hands.
“You bought it for me.”
Marcus smiled sadly.
“For your tenth birthday.”
“Mom says Grandpa helped pick it.”
“He did.”
Leo looked down.
“Why did you delete the video?”
Marcus closed his eyes briefly.
“Because I was scared.”
“Of getting caught?”
“Yes.”
Leo considered that.
“Were you scared when you made Mom’s fake passport?”
“I didn’t physically make it.”
Naomi almost intervened.
Marcus corrected himself.
“But I helped arrange it. Yes.”
“Were you scared then?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you stop?”
Marcus took a long breath.
“Because I kept thinking the next thing would fix the last thing.”
Leo frowned.
“That’s stupid.”
A tiny sound escaped Naomi.
Almost a laugh.
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
“Did you want Mom to disappear?”
“No.”
“Did you want me to think she left me?”
Marcus’s face crumpled.
“For a little while.”
“That’s still yes.”
“Yes.”
Leo’s eyes filled.
Naomi almost reached for him.
She stopped.
He needed to own the moment.
Leo pushed the camera across the table.
Marcus looked confused.
“I don’t want this one anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because when I look at it, I remember the hangar.”
Marcus touched the camera but did not pick it up.
“I’m sorry.”
Leo nodded.
“I know.”
It was not forgiveness.
It was acknowledgment.
Then Leo opened his backpack and removed a small new camera Rebecca had given him.
“I got another one.”
Marcus smiled through tears.
“Good.”
Leo stood.
Their visit had lasted twelve minutes.
As Naomi followed him toward the door, Marcus said, “Leo?”
He turned.
“I’m going to tell the truth.”
Leo looked at his father.
“You should’ve done that before.”
Then he walked out.
In the parking lot, Naomi expected Leo to cry.
Instead he lifted the new camera and photographed the evening sky.
“What are you doing?”
“Starting with something else.”
Naomi looked upward.
Orange light stretched across the clouds.
For months, evidence had been recorded because people feared what others would deny.
Leo was taking a picture for a different reason.
Because he wanted to remember.
Naomi realized that healing might begin exactly that way.
Not by erasing the old recording.
May you like
By deciding what deserved to be recorded next.
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