“Personal attorney?”
He said nothing.
Eleanor did.
“Ryan?”
“Yes.”
“Why was personal counsel altering a corporate founder consent?”
Ryan rubbed his forehead.
“Because Claire’s shares were marital-property adjacent and we needed clean representations.”
Claire almost laughed.
“Marital-property adjacent?”
Benjamin looked uncomfortable.
Ryan continued:
“Claire and I had been discussing separation.”
Claire said:
“No.”
“You told me you couldn’t keep doing this.”
“In therapy.”
“Yes.”
“That is not a separation agreement.”
Ryan’s attorney, attending remotely, interjected:
“We should avoid characterizing privileged marital communications.”
Eleanor stared at the screen.
“Then don’t use them as corporate disclosure.”
Silence.
Claire liked Eleanor more than usual.
The signature issue was worse.
Claire’s electronic signature on the standard consent was genuine.
The signature image on the revised founder conversion approval was copied from the signed standard document after execution.
Ryan claimed Whitmore Legal handled assembly.
Whitmore partner Evan Price joined by phone.
His voice shook.
“Our team believed Ms. Bennett had approved the revised package.”
“Based on what?”
Eleanor asked.
“Instruction from CEO.”
Every face turned toward Ryan.
He stared at the table.
Claire felt no triumph.
Just exhaustion.
Eleanor continued:
“Did Claire receive the revised final before her signature was applied?”
“No evidence of direct circulation.”
Ryan’s attorney objected to wording.
Eleanor ignored him.
The company’s capitalization had therefore been represented inaccurately for months.
Not to public markets.
Meridian remained private.
But to Apex.
Banks.
Insurers.
Board committees.
Employees whose transaction bonuses depended on closing.
Claire asked the question that mattered.
“Can the sale still happen?”
Everyone looked at her.
Ryan seemed surprised.
Benjamin answered:
“Yes.”
“Without my disputed consent?”
“No.”
“Can the recapitalization be reversed?”
Marcus said:
“Mathematically, yes.”
“Legally?”
Benjamin nodded.
“It can be corrected.”
Claire continued:
“Would Apex still buy if we correct it?”
One of the Apex attorneys spoke.
“Our client has not withdrawn.”
Ryan looked up sharply.
The attorney continued:
“But governance representations and management integrity are now material diligence issues.”
Management integrity.
Translation:
Ryan.
Eleanor looked toward Claire.
“What do you want?”
Ryan stared at her.
So did everyone else.
This was the moment people expected revenge.
Claire could feel it.
She hated that.
“I want accurate capitalization.”
Eleanor nodded.
“I want every employee option honored according to the original transaction terms unless Apex changes economics for legitimate reasons.”
Marcus wrote something.
“I want an independent review of document handling.”
Another nod.
“And I want no closing until that review establishes what happened.”
Eleanor waited.
“Anything regarding management?”
Claire looked at Ryan.
He held her gaze.
She could ask for suspension.
Removal.
Resignation.
Instead:
“That is the board’s job.”
Ryan’s expression changed.