Chapter 5 - THE PROMOTION WAS NEVER THE PRIZE
The outside investigators already knew Rebecca Sloan had approved several of Mercer Strategy Group’s invoices.
They did not know she shared an investment account with Grant.
When I provided the statements, the investigation widened.
Rebecca and Grant had been steering research and consulting contracts through inactive companies connected to employees’ relatives. Some vendors performed limited work. Others existed mainly to receive payments and return portions through private accounts.
Mercer Strategy Group was useful because it was real.
I had formed it legally, completed actual projects, and signed the first agreements. That history allowed Grant to submit later invoices without attracting immediate attention.
The money he took from my inheritance served two purposes. Part funded the private investments he shared with Rebecca. The rest covered repayment gaps whenever auditors requested proof that a vendor had paid subcontractors.
Grant’s obsession with becoming vice president had been a distraction.
Rebecca wanted the future chief operating role. Grant expected her to elevate him once she had it. The dinner with Julian was supposed to secure his promotion and help Rebecca learn whether Julian intended to remain with the company.
Grant had not merely hidden the abuse to protect his reputation.
He had kept me isolated because I was the most credible witness against the billing scheme—and the easiest person to blame for it.
The three details I had accepted separately now formed one design: he ended my career but kept my company active; he controlled my phone and financial mail; and he repeatedly told others I was anxious, unstable, and confused about money.
If the invoices were discovered, he intended to describe me as a desperate former consultant who had exploited his access.
The photographs of my injuries threatened more than his marriage. They showed a pattern of coercion that supported my explanation of why I had signed documents without challenging him.
But the evidence did not absolve me completely.
I had knowingly signed two invoices that overstated the hours I worked.
Grant had told me Crosswell expected vendors to “round up” because budgets were approved in advance. I knew the explanation felt wrong. I signed anyway because we needed money for a down payment and I wanted his approval.
Outside counsel warned that I could face a civil repayment demand and that prosecutors would decide whether my early participation required further action.
Julian offered to arrange separate lawyers and cover the fees.
I refused his money.
Grant had taught me to confuse rescue with control. Julian’s offer was different, but I needed the decision to be mine.
I hired an attorney using what remained in my personal savings and agreed to provide a complete statement—including the invoices I had signed knowingly.
The next morning, Grant requested a joint interview.
His attorney said Grant could explain everything if Claire, Julian, and the investigators heard him together.
My lawyer advised against it.
I agreed anyway.
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Not because I expected a confession.
Because Grant still believed I would protect myself by protecting him.
