Chapter 9 - Reclaiming What Was Stolen
By Monday morning, the news of the arrest and the unmasking of Edward Morse dominated the front pages of every financial publication in the country.
NovaCare National Health Group held a joint press conference with my executive team, formally ratifying the full forty-seven million dollar acquisition agreement and announcing an additional fifteen million dollar capital investment into Meridian's regional research hub.
My reputation had not merely been cleared; it was bulletproof.
Armed with grandfather Arthur’s original trust documents, David Ross and I walked into the Morse Development headquarters on Wednesday morning.
The board of directors sat around the polished mahogany table in absolute silence, waiting like frightened schoolboys. Blake was absent; he had cleared out his office the night before, unable to face the staff after the scandal broke.
"Ladies and gentlemen," David announced, sliding the court-certified probate determination across the table. "As of eight o'clock this morning, Abigail Morse possesses controlling voting interest in all commercial assets, subsidiaries, and real estate holdings formerly managed under this trust."
The directors nodded hurriedly, eager to appease the woman who now held their careers in her hands.
"I have three immediate orders," I said, taking my seat at the head of the conference table where my father had sat for thirty years.
"First, all construction projects tied to predatory land acquisitions will be audited immediately and halted if unethical practices are found."
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"Second, Blake Morse's employment contract is terminated without severance, though he may apply for an entry-level leasing position if he wishes to learn the business from the bottom up."
"And third," I looked out over the skyline through the floor-to-ceiling glass. "We are renaming this firm. The Morse Development Group is dissolved. From this day forward, we operate as Arthur & Meridian Holdings."
