Chapter 11 - THOMAS GREER RETURNS

Thomas Greer was arrested in Toronto.

He had attempted to enter Europe using a false passport.

Federal agents recovered encrypted drives containing North Coast records.

The scheme had taken more than thirty million dollars.

Thomas personally controlled twelve million.

The rest had funded earlier investor returns, luxury expenses, bribes, and private accounts.

My affair expenses were visible throughout the ledger.

Thomas labeled them D.M. retention.

He had not viewed me as a client or partner.

I was an asset he kept compromised.

Emily appeared as E.C. operations.

She approved misleading investor communications.

I appeared in promotional emails.

Senior partner and trusted legal adviser Daniel Mercer supports North Coast’s conservative strategy.

I had never written that sentence.

I also never objected when Thomas used my name at dinners.

I liked being introduced as an adviser.

Prestige had felt harmless.

It was not harmless to Samuel Wright.

The prosecutors offered me a cooperation agreement.

I would plead guilty to false expense submissions and failure to disclose referral compensation.

In exchange, they would not charge me as a knowing participant in the larger investment fraud if my testimony remained truthful.

My attorney reviewed the terms.

“You could fight.”

“Could I win?”

“Possibly.”

“Would the facts change?”

“No.”

I signed.

The firm terminated me.

The state bar suspended my license pending final discipline.

News outlets published my photograph.

PROMINENT ATTORNEY ADMITS FALSE EXPENSES DURING AFFAIR.

Clara’s name appeared in several articles.

Pregnant wife discovers cheating lawyer while working as hotel maid.

The headline turned her hardest day into entertainment.

I issued a statement.

“Clara Mercer had no involvement in my misconduct.”

“She worked because I deceived her about our finances.”

“Any report suggesting she failed to understand our household accounts ignores that I intentionally restricted her access.”

My public-relations adviser wanted softer language.

I refused.

Clara had spent months being made to look confused.

The least I could do was identify the person who created the confusion.

Rebecca forwarded one message from her.

Thank you for not blaming me.

It was not forgiveness.

It was recognition of one correct action.

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I had once expected praise for ordinary decency.

Now I understood why gratitude felt almost embarrassing.