Chapter 7 - WHAT MY FATHER HAD BEEN PREPARING
ColeShield was organized as a North Carolina limited liability company.
I owned eighty-two percent.
Several senior employees held the rest through incentive units.
Richard owned nothing.
That did not stop him from downloading documents that described exactly how ownership transfers worked.
Our general counsel, Hannah Brooks, joined Priya and me on a video call.
She had already reviewed the access logs.
Richard had opened the operating agreement.
The membership ledger.
My estate-planning contact information.
Banking resolutions.
And a template used years earlier when an employee transferred units into a trust.
“Individually, none of that proves misconduct,” Hannah said.
“What does it prove together?”
“That someone was studying the mechanics.”
Clara sat beside me.
She asked the question I should have asked.
“Could the power of attorney Richard prepared let him transfer Andrew's ownership to himself?”
Hannah shook her head.
“Not automatically. There are restrictions in the operating agreement, fiduciary duties, and other members whose rights matter. A power of attorney isn't a magic ownership document.”
Relief lasted about three seconds.
“However,” Hannah continued, “a broad enough power could allow him to execute documents in Andrew's name, attempt transactions, direct banks, or create enough apparent authority to cause serious damage before anyone stopped him.”
That sounded exactly like Richard.
Not because he understood every legal consequence.
Because he believed confidence could substitute for permission.
Priya then showed us another report.
RMC Strategic Consulting had billed ColeShield for work Natalie could not document.
More troubling, two invoices contained Richard's electronic approval.
One had been approved from the IP address at his house.
I called Natalie.
She answered with, “If this is about yesterday, Clara is manipulating you.”
“This is about RMC.”
Silence.
“What about it?”
“What did you do for thirty-one thousand dollars in strategic consulting?”
“I've done a lot for your company.”
“Name three things.”
“You're interrogating me now?”
“I'm asking you to explain invoices paid by my employees.”
“They were Dad's idea.”
That came too fast.
Natalie realized it immediately.
I stayed quiet.
She tried to recover.
“He said you were finally going to compensate us for all the years we supported you.”
“Supported me how?”
“Mom watched your dog. Dad loaned you startup money. I introduced you to people.”
“My dog died six years ago.”
“That's your response?”
“Yes.”
Then I heard movement near her phone.
My father was in the room with her.
His voice came faintly through the speaker.
“Hang up.”
Natalie disconnected.
Clara looked at me.
“They're together.”
“Yes.”
“And still planning.”
May you like
I looked at the power-of-attorney appointment scheduled for ten.
Twenty-seven minutes remained.
