“What do we tell the crew?” Luis asked.
“That the company has a management dispute, that their jobs and projects remain our priority, and that they'll be told anything they actually need to know.”
Luis leaned against the filing cabinet. “All right. But the guys can tell you're carrying something. Don't ask them to pretend otherwise.”
“I won't.”
He hesitated. “For what it's worth, I've been here nine years. You and Ryan don't run this place the same way. You walk a job with the customers and see what they live with. He sees margins. Margins matter, sure. But people stay because you remember there's a house around the work.”
I didn't know what to say. I thanked him and went into my office. A picture from our first company Christmas party sat on the shelf above the desk. There were six of us then, standing beneath a crooked strand of lights, grinning like children because we'd made it through another year. Ryan stood with his arm around my shoulders. I turned the photograph facedown, then immediately turned it upright again. I wasn't ready to erase an entire friendship just because I had learned where it ended.
Mason Pierce, the business attorney Leah recommended, met with me that afternoon. He had gray hair, a precise speaking style, and a habit of repeating the important parts of complicated documents in plain English. He read our operating agreement while I waited, then asked about the expenses and the Westbridge proposal. Priya joined by video call with copies of legitimate company records, including the unaltered transaction history and her prior requests for receipts.
“Your seventy-five percent stake gives you substantial authority,” Mason said, “but we need to follow the agreement. We can protect systems and put certain approvals under dual review while we investigate. We cannot simply confiscate his equity because your personal trust has been broken.”
“I understand.”
“What worries me more is the representation made to Westbridge. They appear to believe both owners are prepared to enter a negotiation for sale.”
“We weren't.”
“Then we should tell them, professionally and promptly, that no agreement has been authorized.”
He flipped to a page near the back of the proposal. “And we need to ask Ryan about this incentive provision.”
I leaned forward. The page contained a section outlining compensation for the executive who delivered the transaction. Under the proposed terms, Ryan would receive a consulting role and a substantial retention payment if the sale closed. There was no comparable arrangement for me. I read the numbers twice, trying to make sure I hadn't misunderstood.
“He never told me about that,” I said.
Mason nodded. “It's in a draft. It isn't proof of a completed deal. But it's certainly something we need explained.”