Chapter 5 - THE OLD PROXY
Margaret arrived at Rebecca’s office that afternoon with her own lawyer.
She was sixty-two, immaculate, exhausted, and furious that anyone described her as scheming while her son was missing.
She put a signed proxy on the table.
Luke had executed it eleven months earlier before deployment.
It authorized Margaret to represent his branch in routine Carter Logistics matters during overseas service.
Margaret said:
“There. I did not invent authority.”
Sarah looked at Rebecca.
Rebecca studied the document.
The proxy was real.
Luke’s signature was genuine.
Margaret continued:
“He changed a trust representative. He did not expressly revoke this company proxy.”
Her attorney added:
“The documents operate in different capacities. We are not conceding the later trust amendment automatically cancels the earlier corporate proxy.”
That was a serious argument.
Sarah felt the ground shift.
Margaret looked at her.
“You think I waited for Luke to disappear so I could steal his vote?”
“You filed the proxy after you learned he was MIA.”
“I filed it because a vote is due.”
“And you didn’t tell me he was missing.”
Margaret’s eyes hardened.
“I did not know whether casualty affairs had reached you. I did know the bank was going to put 186 families at risk.”
“You knew I was at the homecoming.”
Margaret hesitated.
“How?”
“Beth told me you were waiting.”
“And you still said nothing.”
Margaret answered carefully:
“Yes.”
No lie.
No excuse.
Then:
“Because if I called you in that state, your first act would have been to stop everything Luke and Nathan had been fighting about for months.”
Sarah stood.
“My first act would have been to find out my husband was missing.”
Margaret’s composure cracked for one second.
“Mine was too.”
Silence.
For the first time, Sarah saw the real conflict.
Margaret was terrified for Luke.
And she still chose the company.
Both were true.
Rebecca interrupted.
“We need to resolve proxy priority before tomorrow.”
Margaret’s attorney nodded.
Then produced one more piece of paper.
A board consent Luke had signed six months earlier supporting an Easton-type transaction if the company’s leverage exceeded a stated threshold.
That threshold had now been crossed.
Sarah stared at Luke’s signature.
May you like
Margaret said quietly:
“He was not as opposed as you think.”
