Chapter 10 - THE FAMILY MEETING
Margaret requested a family meeting.
Lawyers present.
No cameras hidden.
Everything formal.
She looked at Claire.
“You’ve made this unnecessarily expensive.”
Claire smiled.
“You spent months trying to make me look unstable.”
Margaret shrugged.
“You are unstable around me.”
“No.”
Claire leaned forward.
“You’re provocative around me.”
Maya almost smiled.
Margaret turned to Ethan.
“You’re throwing away family protection for a woman who may divorce you.”
Ethan answered:
“She may.”
Claire looked at him.
He continued:
“And that’s because of me.”
Margaret’s face tightened.
Then Claire surprised everyone.
“I’m not asking Ethan to cut you off.”
Margaret frowned.
“I’m asking him to stop letting you speak for him.”
That was different.
Then Margaret slid a settlement proposal across the table.
Claire would receive:
$600,000 cash,
two years use of a trust property,
legal fees,
and immediate mutual release.
In exchange:
confidentiality,
waiver of claims against Bennett entities,
and no discovery into family-company records beyond disclosed schedules.
Smart.
Claire looked at Maya.
Maya said:
“Don’t answer.”
Claire closed the folder.
“I won’t.”
Margaret smiled.
“You think you can do better.”
Claire answered:
May you like
“I think I can learn more.”
For the first time, Margaret looked genuinely worried.
