Chapter 16 - Seraphina’s brother
Julian Holt came to me without Seraphina’s permission.
Forty-one.
Holt Strategic’s chief operating officer.
He looked exhausted.
“I need to know whether this is business or family.”
“Both.”
“Can we separate them?”
“We have to.”
Good answer, borrowed from Judith.
Julian pushed a folder across the table.
Holt board minutes.
Seraphina had been advocating harder for the waterfront acquisition than anyone realized.
Not illegal.
She had also failed to fully disclose several private conversations with me about price.
Conflict problem.
Julian said:
“I’m recusing her from the deal.”
“Your choice.”
“Our independent committee’s.”
Better.
Then:
“She told me you would sign because she had leverage.”
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
“What leverage?”
“She wouldn’t say.”
The archive.
“Did you encourage her?”
“No.”
“Did your father build that archive for leverage?”
Julian looked down.
“Probably.”
There.
Graham Holt had believed clients with criminal histories required:
“insurance against selective memory.”
Not ethical.
Possibly unlawful retention of client material.
But he was dead.
The firm now faced its own professional-responsibility review.
No clean side.
Julian said:
“I’m sorry about Anouk.”
I watched him.
“She isn’t part of our commercial negotiation.”
“I know.”
“Make sure your board knows.”
“They do.”
That was enough.
No family vendetta against Holt.
May you like
No burning their company down.
I had already almost made that mistake.
