We accepted that the full history might never fit into one satisfying confession.

What mattered most to Thomas was that the plant retained its ability to operate and suppliers did not use the dispute as a reason to cut off essential materials.

What mattered to Meredith was that employees knew the truth about how vulnerable their company had been, without having to learn it through rumors.

At the final board meeting about the matter, I asked that every executive whose duties included related-party transactions receive independent training on conflicts of interest and document handling.

It was an unglamorous reform, but a necessary one.