“It was a tax strategy,” Victor said, his hands gesturing wildly in the air. “It was designed to protect the family.”

“It was designed to strip Claire of her shares in the event of a divorce,” Nathan said.

I sat quietly in my chair, my hands folded tightly in my lap.

The rain continued to beat against the glass, a steady, relentless drumming that seemed to fill the silence between their words.

The heat in the room seemed to rise, thick with the smell of cheap hospital floor wax and Victor’s expensive cologne.

“Is Evelyn still at the office?” Victor asked, his voice shaking.

“She is,” Nathan said. “And she is not alone.”

“I need to call her,” Victor said, reaching into his pocket for his phone.

“Don’t bother,” Nathan said. “She’s already drafted the resolution.”

Victor paused, his thumb hovering over the screen of his phone.

“What resolution?” Victor asked.

“The suspension of your executive authority,” Nathan said.

The words seemed to hang in the warm, sterile air.

Victor looked at Nathan as if his former best friend were speaking a foreign language.