On Monday morning, every board member was already seated when Julian entered. Printed packets lay at each place around the long mahogany table. He saw them, hesitated, and took his usual seat at the head.
Sweat showed at his hairline, and his hand shook when he adjusted his tie. His suit hung loosely at the shoulders after the weight he had lost.
The meeting opened with routine business, but no one looked at the quarterly slides. Then Mr. Davenport, the chairman, closed his packet and cleared his throat.
“Julian,” he began. “Over the weekend, several members of this board received a disturbing, anonymous communication regarding your recent financial activities.”
Julian gripped the arms of his chair. “Anonymous slander. A competitor is trying to destabilize us before the next earnings c
