Inside Arthur's wood-paneled law library, stacks of yellowed folders lay open under the warm glow of brass reading lamps.
Arthur adjusted his reading glasses, sliding a thick parchment bound in blue ribbon across the mahogany table toward Sarah.
Arthur: Take a look at the original incorporation charter from nineteen ninety-nine.
Sarah: Richard always told me this filing was destroyed during the corporate restructuring.
Arthur: He wanted you to believe that so you wouldn't ask questions about dividends.
Sarah: Look at this signature line. My father signed as the primary guarantor for the entire maritime fleet.
Arthur: Your father put up forty million dollars when Richard was on the verge of bankruptcy.
Sarah: And Richard spent the last ten years claiming he built it all with his bare hands.
Arthur: Look at the condition set forth in subsection B.
Sarah: Any transfer of executive voting shares must be unanimously ratified by the trust holder.
Arthur: Did Richard ever ask you to ratify his latest stock issuance to Chloe?
Sarah: Never. He simply announced at dinner last month that she was getting five percent of company equity.
Arthur: Which means that entire transaction constitutes illegal corporate conversion under federal law.
Sarah: He broke corporate bylaws and state inheritance regulations in one single move.
Arthur: Precisely. And by attempting to evict you from the estate without judicial review, he breached the trust charter.
Sarah: What happens to the penthouse?
Arthur: The penthouse is titled directly under the Vance Maritime Holding Company. It is not his personal property.
Sarah: He told me yesterday that he bought it with his private year-end bonus.
Arthur: His bonus was paid from corporate revenue streams that require trustee pre-approval.
Sarah: So he effectively embezzled corporate funds to purchase a private residence.
Arthur: A federal judge would view it very unfavorably, to say the absolute least.
Sarah: Do the board members know about this audit trail?
Arthur: Three of them suspected financial irregularities six months ago when Richard leased that private jet.
Sarah: The Gulfstream? He claimed the company desperately needed it for overseas client meetings.
Arthur: Flight records show eighty percent of those trips were personal weekend getaways to Aspen and Miami with Chloe.
Sarah: My God, he was completely out of control.
Arthur: Arrogant men always leave a trail of paper behind them because they assume no one will dare to read it.
Sarah: I trusted him for so long, Arthur. I overlooked the late nights, the cold dismissals, the missing money.
Arthur: You loved your husband. There is no shame in being loyal to someone who failed to earn it.
Sarah: I’m not crying anymore. My tears dried the second he had security carry my clothes out like garbage.
Arthur: Good. Because tomorrow morning, you need the steady hand of a CEO, not the hesitation of a wounded spouse.
Sarah: I’m ready. What is our first official move?
Arthur: Sign this formal revocation of power of attorney, and let me notify the state financial regulator before dawn.
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