But the moment passed quickly.
I looked at the old performance reviews again.
My work was there in black and white: late nights, successful forecasts, cost-saving recommendations, projects rescued before deadlines.
Nobody had given me those results.
Nobody could legitimately take them away.
“I want to attend the board meeting,” I said.
Nathan’s head lifted.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
“Maya, they’re questioning me, not you.”
“They’re using me to do it.”
Elena considered me for a moment.
“You may attend for the portion involving your employment record if you choose.”
Nathan looked unhappy.
That almost made me more certain.
“I’m going.”
At ten o’clock, I walked into Northstar’s largest conference room beside Elena, not Nathan.
That was intentional.
Nathan entered separately and took his usual seat at the head of the table.
Seven board members sat around him.
Their expressions ranged from concern to irritation to the thinly disguised fascination people wear when someone else’s private life becomes professionally inconvenient.
I recognized two senior executives along the wall.
One avoided my eyes.
The board chair, Thomas Reed, opened without ceremony.
“Nathan, the concern is straightforward.
You developed a personal interest in a subordinate after overhearing an intimate conversation.
You then began direct professional contact with her.”
Nathan folded his hands.
“Correct.”
One board member shifted in surprise at how easily he admitted it.
Thomas continued.
“Did you create the forecasting discrepancy review as a pretext to spend time with Ms.
Bennett?”
“No.
The discrepancy was real.
Her manager recommended her because she identified related variance issues in the previous quarter.”
Elena slid copies of the recommendation across the table.
Another director looked down at it.
“Did you instruct anyone to advance Ms.
Bennett’s career?”
“No.”
“Did you influence her compensation?”
“No.”
“Promotion consideration?”
“No.”
“Performance scores?”
“No.”
Each answer was followed by a document.
The room slowly changed.
At first, Nathan had looked like a powerful man defending himself against a troubling accusation.
Ten minutes later, the accusation was being separated into two very different questions.
Had Nathan handled the beginning of our personal relationship perfectly?
No.
Had he secretly manufactured my professional success to pursue me?
The evidence said no.
Then Thomas looked at me.
