Those words still made me put the pages down.

I already owned the controlling shares.

Preston had spent years speaking as though he had given me permission to keep them.

Eric provided emails indicating that Lorraine had approved a communications campaign to portray me as erratic if I challenged management.

A consultant had warned in writing that the proposal risked crossing legal and ethical lines.

The warning was not followed in subsequent planning documents.

It was grimly reassuring that someone, somewhere, had recognized the danger.