Chapter 4 - The audit hold
By morning, Julian’s Apex access was restricted.
Not terminated.
Administrative leave.
The independent audit committee approved it after Jonathan presented preliminary facts:
Undisclosed related-party vendor.
Potential procurement bypasses.
Expense approvals routed through Julian’s division.
Supplier entertainment.
Possible personal use of corporate hospitality funds.
The hospital incident was not the reason.
It was included only because Julian allegedly attempted to compel an injured spouse to provide services for a vendor-billed corporate event.
Even that had to be verified.
No automatic guilt.
Julian’s lawyer called Rebecca.
He had hired counsel fast.
His name was Thomas Greer.
Thomas said:
“Your client is weaponizing corporate authority in a domestic dispute.”
Rebecca replied:
“Then your client should welcome an independent committee reviewing whether that is true.”
I liked her.
Then Thomas made a demand.
Preserve my communications too.
Fair.
If I had used Apex systems to target Julian improperly, those records mattered.
We agreed to reciprocal preservation for relevant categories.
No deleting texts.
No cleaning devices.
No dramatic burner phones.
Then orthopedic surgery was scheduled.
The fracture required internal fixation after swelling decreased.
I would be unable to bear weight for weeks.
Julian sent:
You’re seriously divorcing me while you can’t even get out of bed alone?
I screenshot it.
Not because cruelty is automatically a legal cause for bigger property division.
Because it explained the marriage.
Then:
Who do you think is going to take care of you?
I replied:
Not you.
My sister Amelia flew in from Denver.
Jonathan’s wife recommended a professional home-health service.
I hired them myself.
Real invoices.
Clear services.
No family debt disguised as love.
The divorce petition was filed two days later.
Grounds:
Whatever no-fault framework applied.
No need to litigate cruelty merely to end the marriage.
Property issues separate.
Julian’s attorney immediately requested temporary access to the marital residence.
Reasonable.
His clothing.
Documents.
Personal effects.
We arranged supervised retrieval after my surgery.
He could take what belonged to him.
He could not strip the house.
Then his lawyer made his first serious financial argument.
Julian claimed:
Although title to the home was mine, marital funds had paid for renovations and maintenance.
He sought reimbursement/equitable allocation.
Potentially legitimate.
We would trace.
No:
It’s my house, you get nothing.
Real marriage finances are messier.
Then Julian claimed part of my Apex interest might have become marital through appreciation attributable to my labor during marriage.
That was more complicated.
The prenup addressed inherited equity.
But active appreciation, distributions, compensation, and commingling required analysis.
My own lawyers did not promise total victory.
Good.
Then Jonathan called.
“We found something.”
“What?”
“Julian approved nine Vale invoices himself.”
“Amount?”
“Two hundred forty-one thousand.”
“Were services performed?”
“Some.”
Not zero.
That mattered.
Vale had planned dinners.
Booked hotels.
Arranged transportation.
Coordinated executive retreats.
Evelyn’s company was not completely fake.
Then Jonathan added:
“But six invoices appear to include charges for events that never happened.”
“How much?”
“Approximately ninety-four thousand.”
May you like
Now we had a real problem.
And Julian’s electronic approval sat under every one.
