He considered that. The habit of avoiding attention had protected Noah from a kind of curiosity Daniel had experienced growing up around ambitious people. But privacy could also be a shield against accountability. He had to distinguish what he owed the public from what he owed his son.
"I will speak to the board," he said. "And afterward, if the facts warrant it, I'll explain my part publicly. Leave Noah out of everything."
Celia nodded. "Already doing that."
The special board session took place Thursday afternoon. It was not a surprise invasion or a theatrical takeover. The board had received formal notice through the corporate secretary, and Northstar's independent counsel had been invited to present its concerns. Daniel appeared as a disclosed representative of the shareholder group. Before the meeting began, he stepped into a smaller room with outside attorneys to review his potential conflicts as a former employee and an influential investor. He agreed not to use any material obtained improperly and to submit all personal records through the approved review process.
Victoria watched through a glass wall as he finished that meeting. He wore a dark blue jacket over an ordinary gray shirt. There was no entourage, no dramatic change of clothing to announce wealth, and no attempt to make the room wait for his arrival. When he entered, he nodded to the directors he recognized and took a seat beside Evelyn Shaw. The man looked exactly like the analyst she had seen in break rooms for six years. That was what unsettled her most. She had been able to look at him every day without truly seeing him.
Frances opened the session. "Before we begin, I want the record to reflect that the committee has not reached final conclusions concerning the vendor transactions or the employment matter. Today's purpose is to hear documented concerns, review the proposed service-division sale, and determine whether protective action is necessary."
The board chair, Leonard Price, turned to Daniel. "Mr. Carter, you requested this session on behalf of Northstar's affiliates. Would you explain why?"
Daniel stood and placed a single page in front of each director. "Because Hale Meridian is at risk of selling one of its strongest operations for less than the evidence suggests it is worth. Because its systems of internal control may be failing. And because employees who reported those failures have been treated as if the reporting itself were the problem."
Adrian Voss sat at the far end of the table. He had worn his usual dark suit and the confident expression of a man who expected to steer a difficult conversation into questions of procedure. "I object to the implication that the company's legal team has suppressed anything," he said.
"You're entitled to answer the evidence," Daniel replied. "I don't need the board to adopt my interpretation. I need it to examine the records independently."
Victoria spoke for the first time. "You were a shareholder all along."
"Yes."
"And an employee."
"Also yes. My conflict disclosures and employment record are available to the committee. They should be reviewed."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Daniel looked around the room before answering. He knew that whatever he said would be repeated afterward, perhaps without context. "Because I wanted to do ordinary work without my position on a shareholder register changing every conversation. That choice had consequences. I should have addressed those consequences sooner. But the invoices and the maintenance failures aren't less real because of my mistake."