After a Year of Silence novel · Chapter 5 of 24

Chapter 5: The Board Wants a Reason

The board chair's office had a long walnut table and a view of the harbor, and she did not offer us coffee.

She was sixty and had run the board for twenty years.

She sat at the head with a folder open and her glasses pushed up into her gray hair.

Quentin and I sat on opposite sides of the table.

Gwen sat by the door with a notepad, because Gwen always sat by the door.

"Ms. Linwood," the chair said. "Mr. Brightwell has a wife on his payroll who reports to him. Forty people watched them quarrel on Monday. The video is on two industry blogs."

"Gwen had it pulled," Quentin said.

"Gwen had it pulled from our chat," the chair said. "The internet has not been informed."

I kept my hands flat on the table.

The bandage on my palm itched.

"The company has two options," the chair went on. "Ms. Linwood transfers to another firm with a very generous severance. Or Mr. Brightwell takes a leave of absence while we sort out his conflict of interest."

"A leave," Quentin said.

"A long one."

"No," I said.

The chair looked at me over her glasses.

"I'm sorry?"

"You have two options for me and two options for him, and I picked neither." My voice was steadier than I felt. "I built the planning department. Nobody here handed it to me."

"No one is saying you didn't."

"The video is saying it."

I looked down the table at Quentin.

"Let me take the leave," Quentin said.

"No," I said again.

"Harper. It's my mistake."

"It's our marriage and my job."

"Then I'll resign," he said.

The room stopped.

Gwen's pen stopped moving.

"Quentin," she said sharply. "You cannot be serious."

"I'm completely serious." He kept his eyes on the chair. "I put her in this position without her permission. I will not let her lose her work for it. I'll step down tonight."

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