The next morning, I summoned the company\u2019s board of directors. Ethan arrived looking confident, convinced the meeting concerned ordinary business matters. Vanessa accompanied him, wearing an expensive white suit. When he saw me sitting at the head of the table, he laughed. \u201cWhy are you running this meeting, Laurel? Let the professionals handle business.\u201d Nobody laughed with him. Our lawyer distributed the audit findings, documenting $287,000 in payments to Vanessa\u2019s consulting company for services nobody could verify. Another $116,000 in unauthorized reimbursements had covered luxury hotels, jewelry, and private vacations. Ethan\u2019s face changed as the evidence accumulated. \u201cThose were legitimate expenses,\u201d he protested. I calmly asked him to produce the missing documentation. He couldn’t.<\/p>\n
Then Ethan made an even bigger mistake. He insisted my father owned Whitmore Development and had the authority to remove me. Our lawyer placed the certified ownership records before him. \u201cLaurel Whitmore holds 68 percent of the voting shares,\u201d she explained. Ethan stared at the papers, speechless. Vanessa immediately stood and announced they were leaving, but our lawyer reminded them that the records had been preserved and referred for further review. Suddenly, Ethan turned toward me, pleading that we could fix our marriage. \u201cYesterday, you told me to move aside for Vanessa,\u201d I replied. \u201cToday, I\u2019m making room for myself.\u201d The board voted to terminate his employment under the company\u2019s governance procedures. As security escorted him out, Vanessa revealed that Ethan had promised to marry her once he gained control of the business.<\/p>\n
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