Chapter 12 - The Brand Contract
Hartwell House Events had been preparing a relaunch.
I was chief executive of the larger hospitality group.
Cordelia had no executive title.
She worked under a consulting agreement focused on heritage branding, donor events, and high-end social programming.
For years she was excellent at it.
Then the review found scope creep.
She approved photo vendors outside normal procurement.
Changed event layouts.
Overrode staff decisions.
Used family gatherings as content opportunities without always obtaining clear consent.
No theft.
No secret ownership.
No fraud against me.
Control.
Again.
Our counsel reviewed the North & Main communications.
Cordelia had not signed a binding magazine partnership.
Good.
She had, however, approved several thousand dollars in internal styling and photography expenses without routing them through normal event-budget approval.
Within her historical discretionary limit.
Technically permitted.
Poorly governed.
The business problem was not criminal.
It was that everyone had mistaken family seniority for operational authority.
I ended her consulting role.
Effective immediately.
She called me ten minutes later.
“You fired your own mother.”
“No.”
I corrected her.
“I terminated a business consulting agreement.”
May you like
“You know what I mean.”
“I do. That’s why precision matters.”
