Chapter 16 - THE COMPANY HE TRIED TO SELL
Grant's cooperation detonated the corporate case.
He admitted Harrow Capital promised him six million dollars if the acquisition closed.
Adrian would receive twenty-two million over four years through a consulting and noncompete package.
Hart Meridian would receive eight million as a "transition vendor."
Barbara's consulting company would receive another payment after closing.
The plan required one thing first.
My voting block had to be neutralized.
Grant said Adrian became obsessed with the idea after I refused to approve the Harrow deal the previous year.
"He said you embarrassed him in front of the board," Marcus told me.
I remembered the meeting.
Harrow's offer undervalued our patents and would have eliminated almost eight hundred jobs.
I voted no.
Adrian smiled afterward and told me he respected my judgment.
Then he spent a year planning to remove it.
Federal investigators became involved because of interstate wire activity and securities issues.
I stopped trying to predict charges.
That was not my job.
My job was keeping Bennett-Cole alive.
The board asked me to serve as interim chair.
I accepted on one condition.
"No family appointments. No loyalty hires. Independent governance review."
Helen Ross smiled.
"Agreed."
We halted the Harrow negotiations.
We notified employees without exposing private details.
We commissioned a forensic audit.
And we removed Cole from the company name.
The new sign at headquarters read BENNETT ADVISORY GROUP.
When Adrian saw the photo online, he called me from his lawyer's office.
I almost did not answer.
Then I did.
"You stole my company," he said.
"No."
"You turned everyone against me."
"No."
"Then what do you call this?"
I looked through the glass wall at hundreds of employees still working because the company had not been sold cheap to his friends.
"Accounting."
He went silent.
Then he said something that told me he still had not learned.
May you like
"You'd have nothing without me."
I ended the call.
