Chloe eventually cooperated with federal prosecutors regarding the fraudulent invoices. Daniel accused her of betrayal; she testified that he had assured her every transaction was authorized.
Six months after the divorce was finalized, I walked into the main boardroom at Sterling Global. I had been in that room hundreds of times, but I had almost always taken a side chair, letting Daniel sit at the center of the mahogany table.
That day, my place was set at the head of the table.
I paused for a moment, remembering something my mother had told me shortly before she passed: “You don’t have to shout to hold authority, Audrey. But never confuse peace with silence.” At the time, I thought she was talking strictly about corporate governance. Now, I understood she was talking about my life.
I took my seat. The meeting lasted two hours. We instituted new internal financial controls, appointed independent oversight committees, and restructured executive governance to ensure no single individual could ever consolidate power the way I had allowed Daniel to do.
