Elaine Mercer, meanwhile, implemented new controls at the foundation that made unauthorized influence harder.

Several trustees resigned, and we recruited educators with no business ties to my family.

The changes cost money and reputation.

They were also overdue.

Afterward Sophie sent me a message: Thank you for not using us as a headline.

I stared at those nine words longer than I’d stared at any investor presentation in my career.

It was not affection, not forgiveness, not a promise.

It was recognition that I had acted with restraint.