He Moved His Lover In I Moved My Money Out Chapter 22
Eleanor arrived in Portland while my mentor was at the firm, critiquing the interns’ drawings.
Reception called me.
“There’s a Ms. Whitmore here without an appointment. She insists on seeing you.”
“Send her to the conference room.”
Eleanor was seated at the table, a settlement agreement placed in front of her.
Months had passed, but she was still impeccably made up. Only the whitened knuckles clutching her handbag gave her away.
“Claire has already moved out of Newport,” she said without preamble. “Graham is also willing to return all the funds. If you agree to characterize the tax issue as a filing error within the family, all of this ends today.”
I opened the agreement.
One clause required both parties to remain silent about the use of the funds.
Another required me to withdraw the materials I had submitted to the trust committee.
“You’re asking me to sign a false statement.”
“It’s a revised characterization.”
“The transfer trail, the lease date, and the false reporting are all there. Changing the wording doesn’t make them disappear.”
Eleanor’s face hardened.
“You’ve gotten your career back, and the house is frozen. Graham has been removed from the trust committee, and his health has completely collapsed. What more do you want?”
“I want the facts to remain exactly as they are.”
“The facts?” She let out a cold laugh. “The facts are that over six hundred thousand dollars, you’re trying to destroy a family that has lasted for generations.”
The conference room door suddenly opened.
My mentor stood in the doorway, leaning on her cane.
“If a family that has lasted for generations can be destroyed by accurate accounting, then the problem probably isn’t the accounting.”
Eleanor rose to her feet.
“This is our family’s private matter.”
“It stopped being private when you interfered with her public project.”