LOGINThe formal review produced its first real consequence two days later. Richard came out of the study in the late morning looking like he had taken a hit he couldn’t fully absorb. He called Grant and Cole in first. Then he sent for Eve and Sloane. They stood in front of the desk while he stayed behind it. “The review has recommended temporary leave for senior people most closely connected to the exposure,” he said. His voice was flat and tired. “The board is taking it seriously. I have managed to keep the immediate damage limited, but I can no longer prevent all of it. Until the next phase is clearer, the restrictions here remain at maximum. No one leaves. No unsupervised contact. Cole keeps the watch. Grant keeps order. Any noise from inside this house will be treated as a direct problem.” He looked at Eve longer than at Sloane. “You remain central to how this reached this point. That does not change.” The meeting was short. The door shut hard behind them. The house went quiete
The formal internal review began the next morning, and the house felt the difference right away. Richard was already on calls before anyone else was fully awake. When he finally came out of the study he looked like he hadn’t slept. He called Grant and Cole in first, then sent for Eve and Sloane. They stood in front of the desk while he stayed behind it. “The review is active,” he said. His voice was flat and tired. “Outside counsel is involved. They’re requesting interviews and documents on a formal timeline. Some board members are already discussing temporary steps for people connected to the exposure. I can still influence parts of the process, but I can no longer keep it from moving. Until the first phase is clearer, the restrictions here stay at maximum. No one leaves. No unsupervised contact. Cole keeps the watch. Grant keeps order. Any noise from inside this house will be treated as a direct problem.” He looked at Eve longer than at Sloane. “You remain central to how this
The board’s next move reached Richard before noon, and it was harder than the last one. Eve only understood how much harder when he stayed locked in the study for most of the morning and the voices on the other side of the door carried a sharper edge than usual. When he finally came out he looked worn down in a way that made the whole house feel smaller. He called Grant and Cole in first. A short time later he sent for Eve and Sloane. They stood in front of the desk while he remained behind it. “The board wants a formal internal review,” he said. His voice was flat and tired. “Not a quiet conversation. A structured review with outside counsel involved. Some members are already talking about temporary leave for senior people connected to the exposure. I can still influence the shape of it, but I can no longer keep this from moving forward. Until the review is underway and the immediate pressure is clearer, the restrictions here stay at maximum. No one leaves. No unsupervised contac
The board’s first reaction reached Richard the next morning, and the house felt it almost immediately. He stayed locked in the study for a long time after the call ended. When he finally came out he looked more strained than he had the day before. He called Grant and Cole in first. A few minutes later he sent for Eve and Sloane. They stood in front of the desk while he stayed behind it. “The board has reviewed the preliminary report,” he said. His voice was flat and tired. “There is formal concern. Some members want a deeper internal review. Some want clear distance from the exposure. I can still shape parts of the response, but the pressure is no longer something I can fully absorb on my own. Until the next steps are clearer, the restrictions here remain at maximum. No one leaves. No unsupervised contact. Cole keeps the watch. Grant keeps order. Any noise from inside this house will be treated as a direct problem.” He looked at Eve longer than at Sloane. “You remain central to
The preliminary report reached the board the next morning, and the house felt the shift before anyone said the words out loud. Richard stayed locked in the study for most of the morning. Eve heard him on back-to-back calls, his voice controlled but carrying that tight, tired edge it got when the people on the other end weren’t giving him any room to maneuver. When he finally came out he looked like he hadn’t slept. He called Grant and Cole in first. A few minutes later he sent for Eve and Sloane. They stood in front of the desk while he stayed standing behind it. “The report is in front of the board,” he said. His voice was flat. “It doesn’t spell out every single detail, but it has enough. There is formal concern now. Some of them want a deeper review. Some of them want distance from the exposure. I can still influence what happens next, but I can no longer keep this entirely inside the company or entirely under my control.” He looked at both women. “Until the board’s response
The call that changed things came in the middle of the afternoon. Eve only knew it was different because of how long Richard stayed locked in the study afterward and how quiet the house got. When he finally came out his face looked harder than it had in days. He didn’t waste time. He called Grant and Cole in first. Then he sent for Eve and Sloane. They stood in the study while he stayed behind the desk. “They’ve moved past interviews,” he said. His voice was flat. “They’re preparing a formal preliminary report for the board. It includes enough detail that I can’t keep treating this as something I can quietly manage from here. The company is now exposed in a way that requires direct action.” He looked at both of them. “Until I deal with this, the restrictions stay at maximum. No one leaves. No unsupervised contact. Cole keeps the watch. Grant keeps order. Any noise from inside this house while I’m handling the fallout will be dealt with immediately.” Then he looked at Eve longe







