I spent that evening assembling a list of what mattered: documents, my mother’s ring, medication, clothes and photographs.

The expensive furniture barely crossed my mind.

When the list was finished, I noticed how little of it involved Preston.

That realization felt less like freedom than a quiet funeral.

PART 15: THE EXECUTIVE RISK FILE

The file finally arrived through the company’s outside counsel.

It was a presentation purchased with Lawson Holdings money and stamped confidential.

Most of it covered ordinary crisis planning.