Chapter 8: Damage Control
Julian’s second approach came through intermediaries.
Two senior executives who had once competed for his favor requested brief, off-record conversations with my father. They spoke of Julian’s “track record,” of the instability a prolonged review might create among investors, and of the possibility that a private resolution between husband and wife could spare the company unnecessary scrutiny. Arthur listened without commitment and referred them to the formal process already underway. When they attempted to reach me directly, I declined the calls and redirected them to counsel.
Sienna, through her own representative, submitted a written statement framing the kiss as a spontaneous gesture of celebration that had been misinterpreted. She expressed “regret for any discomfort caused” and requested reinstatement pending the investigation’s outcome. The request was denied. The investigation continued.
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I spent the middle of the week assembling the quieter record that Julian had never bothered to understand: the sequence of major approvals I had signed over the previous three years, the trust provisions that required my consent for changes to controlling interest, and the pattern of decisions that had allowed his rise while remaining structurally dependent on authority he had dismissed as ornamental. None of it was prepared for public release. All of it was prepared for the board.
On Thursday afternoon Julian attempted one final personal message. The tone had shifted from apology to accusation. He wrote that I was allowing my father to destroy his career out of spite, that I had never supported his ambition, and that the entire incident was being weaponized because I could not tolerate his success. I read it once, added it to the file, and did not answer.
