Chapter 10 - The Board Turns Against Jessica
By noon the next day, the story had leaked.
Not the truth.
A version.
An anonymous source told a business blog that Carter & Bloom faced “leadership turmoil” after its founder suffered an “emotional episode” at an airport.
The article mentioned no fraud.
It mentioned no forged documents.
It mentioned Jessica’s medical leave.
By two o’clock, three suppliers had called.
By three, a major retailer requested “assurance of executive continuity.”
By four, Jessica wanted to throw her phone through a window.
Marcus would not let her respond publicly yet.
“Facts first.”
“They are destroying my company in real time.”
“I know.”
“You keep saying that.”
“Because angry statements will be used as proof of the story they’re telling.”
Jessica hated that he was right.
The board reconvened at five.
This time Nora did not attend.
Daniel did.
Two directors wanted Jessica temporarily removed while the investigation continued.
Not because they believed Nora.
Because they were afraid.
That hurt almost as much.
Uncle Thomas spoke first in Jessica’s defense.
“Fear is not governance.”
One director answered, “Neither is pretending our CEO isn’t personally entangled in a criminal investigation involving her husband.”
Jessica listened until she could not.
Then she unmuted.
“My marriage is in crisis. That is true.”
The room quieted.
“My company is the target of fraud. That is also true.”
She held up the forged consent.
“These are not the same problem simply because the same man helped cause both.”
She displayed the bank hold confirmation.
Then the altered trust document.
Then the metadata from Nora’s computer.
Finally, she showed the false psychiatric letter.
“I took medical leave four years ago because I lost a pregnancy.”
Several directors looked down.
“I did not hide it from this board. I took time, got help, returned to work, and grew this company for four straight years afterward.”
Her voice trembled once.
She let it.
“I will not accept grief being rewritten as incompetence because two people wanted my shares.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Daniel unmuted himself.
“She isn’t telling you everything.”
Jessica looked at him.
“Go ahead.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed.
“Ask her why the company needs an emergency credit line next month.”
Jessica froze.
That information had been discussed only between Jessica, Nora, and Calvin.
A major national retailer had delayed a payment after changing internal accounting systems.
Carter & Bloom was healthy, but the timing gap could squeeze cash flow temporarily.
Nora knew.
Daniel knew because Nora had told him.
A director frowned.
“Is that true?”
Jessica answered.
“Yes.”
Daniel leaned toward his camera.
“They’re closer to a liquidity problem than she admits.”
Marcus whispered, “He’s laying groundwork.”
Jessica understood.
If confidence collapsed, lenders could tighten.
Suppliers could demand faster payment.
A manageable cash-flow gap could become a real crisis.
The fraud was not just designed to steal money.
It was designed to weaken the company enough for someone to buy it cheaply.
The “real money” after Jessica’s removal.
A distressed acquisition.
Jessica asked Priya to reopen the Northstar files.
“Search for buyers.”
Ten minutes later, Priya found a draft term sheet.
A private-equity fund had offered to acquire Carter & Bloom’s assets for forty-six million dollars if a “change in control event” occurred.
Jessica stared.
The company’s last independent valuation was eighty-two million.
The buyer could obtain Carter & Bloom at nearly half value if leadership collapsed and debt accelerated.
Nora would receive a transaction bonus.
Daniel would receive a consulting package.
Together, they were not merely trying to steal seven million.
They were preparing to force a distressed sale worth tens of millions less than the company’s value.
Then Marcus read the buyer’s name.
Redwood Harbor Capital.
Jessica knew it.
Not personally.
But Daniel did.
His older brother, Steven Carter, had worked there for nine years.
The room went silent.
May you like
Jessica looked at Daniel’s video window.
He had already disconnected.
