name.”
I paused.
“Julian knew I worked in finance.”
Then I looked directly at him.
“He simply never considered my work important enough to understand.”
A few people laughed.
Julian did not.
I explained that Northstar had started evaluating Aurelia when its lenders threatened liquidation.
The company had talented engineers.
Valuable patents.
Loyal employees.
What it lacked was responsible leadership.
Julian started toward the stage.
Security quietly stepped into the aisle.
“Nora, come down,” he ordered. “We can discuss this at home.”
I held his gaze.
“You lost the right to give me orders tonight.”
The room went silent again.
Camilla immediately stepped away from him.
“I had nothing to do with what happened between you two.”
“You’re right,” I said.
Then I turned toward her.
“Your choices involved nineteen invoices from a consulting company registered to your brother.”
The color drained from her face.
For six weeks, Northstar’s forensic team had been reviewing Aurelia’s books.
We found recurring consulting payments just below the level that required board approval.
The company receiving those payments had no employees.
It shared an address with Camilla’s brother.
Julian had approved every invoice.
Hotel and travel records also showed company money being used for private weekends that had been listed as business meetings.
I hadn’t confronted either of them.
I had simply expanded the audit.
Aurelia’s general counsel placed a black folder on the podium.
Julian stared at it.
“You were spying on me.”
“No.”
I kept my voice calm.
“I was performing due diligence on a company I was buying.”
“You used our marriage to destroy my future.”
“No, Julian.”
I looked around the room.
“You used your position to misuse money belonging to a company employing eight hundred people.”
Behind me, the screens displayed a simple timeline.
Invoices.
Approvals.
Travel expenses.
Transfers.
No gossip.
No private messages.
Just numbers.
Sometimes numbers tell the truth better than people do.
Malcolm announced that Northstar now had immediate governance control.
The board had already approved the restructuring plan.
Julian tried to move toward the stage again.
Security stopped him.
I closed the folder.
“The ownership announcement is finished.”
Then I looked directly at him.
“Now we can discuss your future.”
Julian laughed bitterly.
“You can’t fire me. My contract guarantees five years of compensation.”
For the first time that night, I smiled.
“Only if you’re terminated without cause.”
The company’s general counsel opened the folder.
She began listing the findings.
False expense reports.
Undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Questionable vendor payments.
Misuse of company funds.
Attempts to remove audit records.
The board had already voted.
Julian was terminated for cause, effective immediately.
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