Chapter 20 - THE MAN WHO THOUGHT LOYALTY WAS FOR SALE
Richard Bell arrived at Evelyn's office the next morning.
He didn't sit.
“I don't appreciate being treated like a suspect.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“Then you should have no problem with an audit.”
Richard's face tightened.
“I've served this family for two decades.”
“And I respect that.”
“Then trust me.”
Evelyn slowly stood.
“Trust isn't the opposite of verification.”
Richard stared at her.
She continued.
“You worked with my father when Gregory was here.”
“Yes.”
“You knew about his investment vehicles.”
“I knew he was aggressive.”
“You knew more.”
Richard said nothing.
Evelyn placed a file on the desk.
“We found communications between your private account and Northbridge.”
Richard's expression changed.
“I never sold anything.”
“You gave them information.”
“I was trying to protect myself.”
“From what?”
Richard finally admitted it.
Gregory had threatened to expose financial decisions Richard had made years earlier.
Nothing criminal.
But enough to destroy his career.
“So you helped him attack us.”
“I thought I could control it.”
Evelyn closed her eyes for a moment.
The same excuse again.
Control.
Fear.
Silence.
She understood now why these patterns repeated.
People didn't always betray you because they hated you.
Sometimes they betrayed you because they were afraid.
Richard resigned.
Evelyn did not humiliate him.
She simply said:
“You should have come to me.”
He looked at her.
“I was ashamed.”
Evelyn nodded.
“So was I once.”
And that was why she chose not to destroy him.
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But she would not protect him from consequences either.
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