Meredith opened her folder.
“This meeting is not about your relationship.
It is about your fitness to remain on an account connected to Alexander’s company.”
The door opened behind me.
Adrian entered with Vale International’s general counsel and the director of corporate compliance.
Every person at the table stood except Alexander, who rose half a second too late.
Adrian took the empty chair.
“Please sit,” he said.
No one moved until he did.
He looked toward Meredith.
“You submitted a complaint at 1:47 this morning.”
“Yes.
I believed immediate action was necessary.”
“Did you disclose your personal relationship with Alexander?”
She maintained eye contact.
“There is no relationship that affects my professional judgment.”
Alexander shifted beside her.
Adrian continued.
“Did you travel with him from London yesterday?”
“We were both attending meetings.”
“Did Vale Growth Partners pay for his airline ticket?”
Meredith hesitated.
“It was a legitimate diligence expense.”
“Did the company also pay for the hotel suite you shared?”
Silence settled over the room.
Alexander turned toward her.
“You said those charges were approved.”
The general counsel slid a document across the table.
Meredith did not touch it.
Adrian spoke without raising his voice.
“The expense was flagged three days ago because there was no approved diligence memorandum attached to it.
I was returning to New York to review that issue with compliance.
Meeting you at the airport was a coincidence.”
Meredith’s face tightened.
“The memorandum was delayed.”
“The memorandum was created at six-fifteen this morning.”
The compliance director placed a second document beside the first.
“We have the system log,” she said.
Alexander’s polished confidence began to crack.
He looked at Adrian.
“I had nothing to do with her expense reports.”
“No,” Adrian said.
“You were merely the beneficiary.”
“This is becoming a personal attack.”
Adrian’s gaze shifted toward him.
“Last night you claimed Meredith could destroy Victoria’s career because your company was about to sign a contract with this agency.”
“I was angry.”
“Was the statement true?”
Alexander looked at my managing director, hoping for support.
The man cleared his throat.
“There have been preliminary conversations.
No contract has been executed.”
Alexander stared at him.
“We agreed on the scope.”
“We agreed to review a proposal,” the managing director replied.
“That is not the same thing.”
