DRAMA NOVEL ONLINE Just Pretending: Chapter 30
I sat in another dimmed conference room, watching another presentation, pretending that I was engaged and actually interested in the information. The pitch on improved supply chain management did not hold my interest. None of the meetings I attended had. But that’s why I was there. The company needed to integrate stronger enterprise solutions, beginning with how supply chain issues were addressed. The hiccup in the smooth running of the company that the old man’s death caused needed to be addressed. The question was how to ensure no such disruption happened again, and that it couldn’t travel up the chain.
I had my assistant arrange for more meetings away from the office. I hoped distance would give me perspective, and keep me from being able to get in my car and return to the house. I’d be shocked if I was welcome there. But there was where I wanted to be. I couldn’t get in my car and start driving somewhere without realizing I was headed to the house. Even my morning commute found me detouring toward the hills. I was drawn like a moth to a flame. But unlike that moth, I knew I was headed toward getting burned.
It was best to avoid temptation altogether and spend time away. I spent more time in airports than I had in my own office. I slept in hotels more than I did in my bed. I lived out of a suitcase, maximizing my time as efficiently as possible.
I walked away from Harleigh. And I was fighting to stay away on a daily basis. I stayed for a year. The entire time I thought all I wanted was to leave and get back to my life. I no longer knew what it was I wanted, or needed. What I knew was, that away from Harleigh, I had clarity regarding what needed to be done to take care of her, to take care of the old man’s legacy. I may have had clarity, but I didn’t have focus.
If I had to sit through another presentation like this I would lose my mind. I only had myself to blame, arranging these meetings so close together, keeping me on the road. I rolled my pen through my fingers. I’m sure what the partners were presenting made perfect sense, but all I could think of was elephants.
A random graphic used to illustrate memory, strength, or storage —I wasn’t paying close attention, but they used an elephant— during the presentation had me suddenly thinking about the old man’s threat to hand over everything to an elephant sanctuary. I needed to rid myself of that memory or do something about it. I still needed to make sure the accounts for the house were set up. I might as well add elephants to my to-do list.
My phone buzzed. A quick glance alerted me to a message from my assistant.
“This”— I gestured at the projector screen— “is making perfect sense. I’m going to jump ahead here. I want to see how this solution plugs into my needs. I’m sure you have that toward the end of this presentation.” I lifted my phone. “I need to check on something, when I get back, let’s see how your solution applies.”
I stepped into the hall and read the message. “Lawyer wanting to know when you will have papers for Harleigh.”
Was Harleigh in a rush to have everything signed and over? She hadn’t bothered to call me herself. I recalled the look on her face the last time I saw her. She was angry and hurt. Maybe she had decided to only communicate via lawyers. I should be glad to not have to deal with her directly. I chose to ignore the hollowness in my gut that warned me I was full of bullshit. I enjoyed bickering with her more than I should have.
I called my assistant.
“I didn’t mean to pull you out of a meeting.”
“I let myself be pulled out of that meeting. I was done before they started. Now tell me what McGrady said.”
“It wasn’t him. Another one of his junior lawyers. I gently mentioned that you would only be speaking with McGrady. I was under the impression that McGrady was the one asking about the divorce papers, not Harleigh.”
I nodded. “Okay, call him back, get something set up with McGrady and Winchurch from finance. The sooner the better. I’ll be back in the office tomorrow.”
I took a moment after the call ended to scroll through my phone. I had a few pictures of Harleigh from a time she insisted we take selfies together. I hated that we looked so happy when in the end I did nothing to put a smile on her face. It was time to stop sitting on my ass and get some forward action with these funds so that Harleigh could have a resolution to this divorce. It was the least I could do.
I strode back into the conference room. The presenters straightened up and were poised to launch back into their pitch.
“I need to cut this short. I would like to see an actual working model with figures from my company plugged into your operating system.” I held up my hand and waved off any protests. “No, I want real numbers, not what you gleaned from our website. I’ll have my assistant call you to make arrangements for an in-depth consultation. This has been very informative.”
I left that meeting and took an early flight home. I spent the night in my bed at the apartment. It somehow still didn’t feel like my bed anymore. Being home hadn’t changed my restlessness.
Another day, another meeting. This time I had Winchurch from finance, and Vance from legal with me. McGrady still represented the estate, and that now meant Harleigh and the household. Prior to the date of our separation, McGrady had been reluctant to help me find a way to ensure that there was a direct financial line from the company into any of Harleigh’s accounts. I now had information that should be a game-changer.
“Do you have the paperwork ready for my client to sign?” McGrady asked as he entered the meeting.
“No need to start on the offense Mr. McGrady,” I said.
“My client,” he started.
“Is my wife. We are on the same side here. We both want what’s best for Harleigh. Please sit, we have much to discuss.” I gestured to the chairs around the conference table.
“You mean your soon-to-be ex-wife,” he corrected me. “Why are you bothering to do all of this when you’ve gotten what you wanted from the inheritance?”
“She may be my ex soon enough, but that doesn’t mean I harbor any ill will toward her. I want her to be taken care of. It would be a shame if something were to happen because her father couldn’t see past his own desired outcomes.”
“Prior to finalizing the division of assets, I expressed concern for establishing a fund that would ensure the continued maintenance and running of the property where Harleigh currently resides. We all know the old man never bothered to keep his business interests separate from his home life. After some digging, it is clear to me that should the company make a clean break from all household interests, Harleigh will be left with no other recourse than to begin liquidating assets, and eliminate staff.”
I looked around the men at the conference table. I slid across a printout with a list of all company assets that aided directly to the upkeep of the house. Including payroll for the staff.
“As you can see here, the household staff are actually my employees. It’s painfully clear to me that the old man never intended for the assets to be divided. It’s why he made my marriage to Harleigh part of the terms of the will. He was attempting to manipulate us from the grave.”
“He did a fairly decent job of it. The manipulation, I mean,” McGrady said.
“Yeah, well, he didn’t take into account that Harleigh and I knew we were being played. Her father wasn’t exactly subtle. And maybe he got exactly what he wanted. Instead of reviewing a divorce settlement line by line, we are here to figure out a way to keep Harleigh in the house, and still have the assets divided between us.”
I slid over another printout. “These are the funds that were specifically listed as going to Harleigh and the house. As you can see, none of these generate enough income to maintain much more than a spending habit Harleigh barely has. She certainly will not be able to maintain the property with them.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“I propose to keep the staff as company employees. A system is already in place to handle changes in staffing, health care, and benefits, taxes. Harleigh will have complete autonomy in managing the staff, but they will be my employees.”
“What does your board think of all of this?” McGrady shuffled in his chair.
“It doesn’t matter what the board thinks. They are an advisory board, ultimately the final decisions are mine to be made. This is my decision.”
I ran my hands through my hair. I didn’t understand why he was so reluctant to have me set up a financial system that would support Harleigh. I let out a heavy breath and continued. “Regarding the maintenance costs of the property, those were all paid for by the company. We have already established a fund that will eventually be able to generate the necessary money needed to financially maintain the property. Until that time, the company will make regular deposits into the fund.”
By the time McGrady left, we had agreed to the division of assets. This now included new assets not originally accounted for in the will. Harleigh now had a home that she could maintain and run any way she pleased, and I had the peace of mind that I hadn’t lied that long year ago when I told the old man I would look out for her.
Unbeknownst to him, I also had a trust established to send quarterly donations to the elephant sanctuary in Harleigh’s name. If there had been a moment in the past year to think about anything but our immediate situation, I know she would have felt bad that the elephants had missed out on receiving some kind of support.