Chapter 14 - Beatrice Finally Pays Her Bill
The lunch dispute ended months later.
Beatrice paid.
Not happily.
Not with an apology.
Through a negotiated resolution handled by counsel.
The exact amount included the event charges under the agreed terms.
When payment cleared, Gavin printed the receipt.
He placed it on my desk.
“Frame it?”
I laughed.
“Absolutely not.”
He looked disappointed.
So I let him photograph it.
Beatrice also resolved financial claims connected to certain family
expenses identified in the audit.
Other matters involving Lucas and Pacific Crest followed separate civil
and legal processes.
I stopped trying to predict every consequence.
Accountability was not a single dramatic check landing on a table.
It was records.
Repayment.
Loss of access.
Professional advice.
Court filings.
Tax corrections.
May you like
And relationships that never returned to what they had been.
That was enough.
