The Voice Memo
Chapter 14 - The Voice Memo
Celeste called me three nights later.
“I found something.”
Her voice was shaky.
She had been cleaning out an old cloud backup when she discovered a voice memo Grant accidentally saved during a meeting with Thomas.
The recording was nearly twenty minutes long.
Martin advised us not to circulate it publicly and to give it directly to investigators.
But Celeste wanted me to hear one section first.
We sat in my kitchen.
My mother was there.
Lauren too.
Grant’s voice came through the speaker.
Thomas, if Evelyn finds the Northline files, this falls apart.
Then my uncle answered.
She won’t. She signs whatever she thinks protects the family.
My mother closed her eyes.
The recording continued.
Grant said, And Rebecca?
Thomas laughed.
Rebecca thinks being responsible means carrying every problem alone. Give her a crisis and she’ll sign anything that sounds like stability.
I stopped the recording.
For a moment, I could not speak.
He knew me.
That was the ugliest part.
My uncle had studied my strengths until he found the version of them that could be used against me.
Responsibility became isolation.
Loyalty became silence.
Competence became the belief that I never needed help.
My mother reached for my hand.
I let her take it.
Celeste stared at the table.
“There’s more.”
She played another section.
Grant’s voice was quieter.
I don’t want Evelyn hurt.
Thomas replied.
Then keep Rebecca focused on the wedding.
Mom began crying.
Not because Grant defended her.
Because Thomas had spoken about her as an obstacle.
Her own brother.
The man she had protected for decades.
Lauren stood and walked to the window.
“I want him gone from the company.”
“So do I,” I said.
Martin warned us that removing Thomas required board action and careful procedure.
This was no longer about revenge.
If we moved recklessly, Thomas could claim we were destroying the company for personal reasons.
We needed evidence.
We needed the board.
We needed employees to understand what was happening before rumors destroyed trust.
The next morning I called an emergency meeting.
Thomas attended by video.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
He denied everything.
Then he said something that nearly worked.
“Rebecca is emotionally unstable after a canceled wedding. She is allowing a jealous mistress to manipulate corporate governance.”
Several board members shifted uncomfortably.
I looked directly into the camera.
May you like
Then I pressed play on the voice memo.
Thomas stopped smiling.
