Chapter 8
Corinne offered to leave the estate quietly.
She would surrender the engagement ring.
Sign a confidentiality agreement.
Accept no financial settlement.
Never contact Sadie again.
In return, Alistair would stop pursuing her old communications and keep Nathan's involvement private.
Her attorney called it a practical resolution.
Rebecca presented the proposal without recommending it.
Alistair read it.
Then placed it on the table.
“No.”
Rebecca waited.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“If we reopen Evelyn's accident, it may expose the Montelli transportation company.”
“I know.”
“The fleet records could show your own executives ignored safety warnings.”
“Then they should answer for that.”
“Your family may lose contracts.”
“Then we lose them.”
Rebecca studied him.
“And the original accident settlement?”
“Review it.”
Alistair signed authorization for a full independent examination of the fleet maintenance records, Evelyn's accident file, and the communications involving Westbridge and Vale Risk Advisory.
He permitted outside counsel to notify the relevant insurers, regulators, and authorities if the evidence supported it.
He also authorized preservation and production of records from the Montelli transportation company, including documents that might implicate his own employees.
The company suspended Westbridge-related operations pending review.
Affected clients were notified.
The board placed two senior managers on administrative leave.
The family complained immediately.
One cousin said:
“You're tearing apart a business over a woman who's been dead four years.”
Alistair looked at him.
“Evelyn was the one who tried to keep that business safe.”
The cousin fell silent.
Alistair continued.
“If she was right, we should've listened while she was alive.”
The review could not be quietly reversed.
The documents had been delivered to independent investigators.
The insurers had been notified.
Outside counsel controlled the evidence process.
Corinne's attempt to trade silence for a clean departure had failed.
Then Rebecca received a call from the attorney representing a former Westbridge technician.
The man had kept copies of internal records.
He wanted to talk.
May you like
His name was Aaron Mills.
And he claimed Evelyn had discovered something Westbridge had spent years trying to hide.
