“I have been ready for five years, Nathan,” I said.

We walked out of the courthouse together, down the wide granite steps into the bright morning light.

The reporters were waiting at the bottom of the stairs, their cameras clicking like a chorus of insects.

They called out Victor’s name, then my name, then Nathan’s.

We did not stop to answer their questions.

We walked straight to the waiting black car, the doors closing out the noise of the city.

***

The corporate headquarters in Seattle looked different in the afternoon light.

The gray clouds were low over the Puget Sound, casting a cool, slate-colored glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the boardroom.

The long teak table was empty except for a single glass of water and the fresh leather folders prepared for the new board.

I took the seat at the head of the table.

Nathan sat to my right, his laptop open, his fingers moving quickly over the keys.

“The transition team has secured the European accounts,” Nathan said. “The market opened flat, but we are holding.”

“And the employees?” I asked.