“Is it?” I asked, turning to face him.

“You know I didn’t know,” he said. “I trusted him.”

“You trusted his numbers because they made you look good,” I said.

I crossed my arms, feeling the cold air from the window pane seep through my wool coat.

“You didn’t care where the money came from, Elias, as long as the quarterly reports kept the board happy.”

He shook his head, walking a tight circle behind his desk.

He looked smaller than he had an hour ago.

His shoulders were slightly hunched.

“The board is panicked,” he said. “They are worried about the share price.”

“They should be,” I said. “King Holdings dropped four percent yesterday.”

“If I step down, the stock will plummet,” he said.

He stopped pacing and looked at me.

“They are using our separation as leverage,” he said.

“How?” I asked.

“They say a public divorce during a federal investigation makes the leadership look unstable,” he said.

He took a step toward me, his hands open.

“They think I am distracted.”

“You are distracted,” I said.