He Moved His Lover In I Moved My Money Out Chapter 19
Richard’s tired voice filled the meeting.
When the recording ended, I finally spoke.
“Once that enters the public trial record, who exactly becomes your enemy?”
No one answered.
The meeting recessed for twenty minutes.
When they came back online, all four of my conditions had been approved.
The next afternoon, the arts center posted a correction statement on its official website. The professional reputation they had taken from me with one line about an “unstable domestic situation” was returned by a stamped committee document.
I forwarded the statement to my Portland clients, then closed the page.
My mentor asked, “Doesn’t that feel satisfying?”
“It does.”
“Then why aren’t you smiling?”
I looked up at the model shelves that had just been installed in the office.
“Because it’s not enough.”
A career is not something anyone gets to hand back to me.
What I want is for no one to ever again be able to decide if a woman has the right to stand over a set of drawings based on her marital status.
That night, my lawyer sent over the arts center’s compensation agreement. I signed it but changed the receiving account.
The money would go toward licensing training fees for the first group of young designers at my firm.
The file had barely been sent when Eleanor called from an unfamiliar number.
“What did you force Richard to say?”
Her voice was no longer elegant.
“He said everything himself.”
“He has worked for the Whitmore family for over twenty years. If you make that deposition public, you’ll ruin him.”
“I didn’t make him place those calls.”
Eleanor’s breathing caught.
“Withdraw the deposition. In exchange, Graham will sign the divorce agreement, and the family can make up for the six hundred thousand dollars, too.”
“That was my money to begin with.”
“Nora, you’ve already won. Don’t be greedy.”
I pressed the call transfer key my lawyer had set up.
“Please repeat that to my attorney.”
The line went dead.
Seconds later, my lawyer’s email came through.
The hearing on the Newport property objection had been moved up.
Claire and Graham would both be appearing.