Chapter 12 - WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO THEMThe Mercer Foundation did not collapse.
The board removed Vivian from all operational authority.
Independent controls were installed.
Vendor approvals changed.
Outside accounting became mandatory.
The foundation pursued civil recovery relating to unsupported or improper expenditures.
Where evidence suggested potential criminal issues, counsel made appropriate referrals.
I did not control those decisions.
Nor did I pretend one Christmas slap automatically created prison sentences.
Derek’s business suffered more immediately.
His refinancing failed.
One development partner bought him out of a project.
He sold another parcel at a loss.
Mercer Row Development eventually wound down.
Derek negotiated repayment obligations connected to company and foundation-related transfers.
He did not become homeless.
He did not become a janitor in a poetic reversal.
He got a salaried development-management job with a regional builder.
Boss.
Benefits.
No family rescue account.
Probably the healthiest employment structure he had ever experienced.
Vivian and Charles separated.
Not because of me.
Their marriage had been deteriorating for years.
The audit destroyed what remained.
Vivian moved into a condominium she already owned individually.
Charles remained in his smaller Atlanta residence.
The divorce between them became financially complex but not theatrical.
Mine was easier.
Prenup.
Tracing.
Business records.
No children.
The Buckhead property was not marital property because Charles had gifted it to me individually near the end of the marriage with clear deed language and documentation.
Derek challenged aspects of the transfer initially.
Then withdrew after counsel reviewed the facts.
My divorce became final eleven months after Christmas.
I walked out of the courthouse with no celebration.
Just relief.
Alicia asked:
“Lunch?”
I said:
“Soup.”
She stared at me.
Then started laughing.
May you like
So did I.
It was the first time soup had sounded funny again.
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