The chandeliers remained.
The stage remained too.
The champagne displays were gone.
No cameras were invited.
Only directors, senior counsel, pertinent executives, and major shareholder representatives attended.
Camden sat opposite me.
He appeared sleepless.
Sloane wasn’t present.
Her resignation was accepted that morning after investigators confirmed she’d improperly changed grant statuses and misrepresented them in my performance review.
The review reached another crucial conclusion, one that prevented Camden from shifting the entire responsibility onto Sloane.
She wasn’t alone in constructing the case.
Camden sought documented reasons to dismiss me.
He approved disabling my access.
His personal interests influenced staffing decisions.
He publicly announced dismissal before reviews concluded.
He made those choices.
His mistress couldn’t shoulder them.
August began proceedings.
“The question before us is not whether Mr. Royce has contributed meaningfully to this company. He has.”
Camden looked up.
I valued that acknowledgment.
I wouldn’t erase his achievements because he hurt me; the record deserved accuracy even when my feelings made accuracy difficult.
