Robert set his glass on a coaster.

He opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a single sheet of heavy legal paper.

“Marcus drafted this for you,” Robert said.

I picked up the document.

It was a formal corporate directive to suspend the chief executive officer immediately, pending a full forensic audit.

It cited embezzlement, fraud, and theft of intellectual property.

“If you sign this tonight, you give up any chance of handling this quietly,” Robert said.

“I know,” I said.