Chapter 13 - My Mistake With the Family Office
My second major mistake was financial.
I called the Queen family office three days after Odette filed her visitation petition.
“Remove her access.”
The CFO asked:
“To what?”
“Everything she signs.”
“She still sits on the advisory board.”
“Not anymore.”
“You cannot remove her unilaterally.”
“I own forty-two percent.”
“The board does not.”
I knew that.
Anger made me stupid.
Then I said:
“Freeze reimbursements tied to her consulting arrangement.”
The CFO went silent.
Odette received a modest $180,000 annual consulting retainer for historical family-office advisory work.
Independent contract.
Not relevant to Maisie.
The CFO said:
“On what contractual basis?”
I stopped.
None.
Personal retaliation.
Again.
“I withdraw that.”
“Good.”
He documented the request.
Also good.
Later Odette’s lawyer obtained the record in discovery.
“Mr. Queen attempted to terminate my client’s income after she asserted grandparent rights.”
Ugly.
Accurate as to impulse.
No money actually frozen.
Still.
I admitted.
The family-office board then recused me from any decision involving Odette’s consulting contract while litigation continued.
Correct.
I hated losing control.
That was the recurring disease in our family.
Odette controlled through money.
I responded through money.
Same vocabulary.
Different targets.
Maisie remained the person everyone claimed to protect.
Sarah Kline told me:
“If you want the court to believe you separate your daughter’s welfare from adult retaliation, start doing it.”
I did.
May you like
Slowly.
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