career, and grateful for it. “I think, more than likely,” she said quietly, “the board will decide that this episode is the price to pay for an exceptionally competent CEO. These things have happened at other companies, and everyone survives. People will forget it in the end.” Her voice was cool and calm. It was obvious that she wasn’t happy with the situation, but the board had agreed to support him unconditionally, and she was relieved it hadn’t cost them more, which it easily could have, if the Wheeler woman and her attorney had been even greedier.
“I don’t know how to tell you how grateful I am, and how sorry. I promise you that nothing like it will ever happen again.”
“I’m sure it won’t,” she said kindly. “I know that these thingshappen. But let’s hope it never does again. It was an expensive mistake. I’m going to have Simon write the statement for her to give to the press, retracting her accusations.”
“I think he’s working on it now.”
“We’ll have to let the stockholders know that we paid her a settlement to avoid the time, expense, and bad publicity of a lawsuit. And she retracted her false claims, and we’re considering the expense an early installment of your bonus, from what you’d get at the end of the year anyway.” It was far less than his projected bonus, so it shouldn’t upset anyone unduly. What he wanted to be sure of now was that Liz would never know his accuser’s claims had been true. He could tell Liz that they had been forced to settle with her to avoid further scandal and a lengthy lawsuit. But he would say nothing about the photographs and letters. There was no reason Liz would ever know, and his reputation would be salvaged. All they had to live through now was the scandal in the press for a few hours until she made her statement, hopefully by the end of the day.
He called Liz after he spoke to Connie, and warned her that there would be some ugly stories in the press that day, as part of the pressure Wheeler was putting on him to settle, but they would be recanted by tonight or tomorrow, and the threatened suit had been settled, and she had gotten honest and was retracting her claim.
“Is everything okay?” Liz asked, sounding panicked.
“It will be soon. She wouldn’t back down unless we paid her a settlement. It’s extortion, but the board doesn’t want to deal with a lawsuit, even if we won. It will all be over soon. And you’d better warn the kids about what will be on the news today. You can tell them it was all a lie.” What mattered most to him was that Liz believed him and would never know the truth. Of that he was nowsure. And after he spoke to Liz, he called Ashley from his office. He warned her of what would be on the news that day, and he said it was all posturing over a threatened lawsuit, based on a false claim of sexual harassment, made by a disgruntled employee who had been fired, and tried to take revenge on him for it. It sounded sensible to him and was a plausible explanation for what had happened.
“What the hell is that about?” Ashley said, instantly suspicious. But Marshall was calm now. The nightmare was almost over. And he sounded quiet and confident when he answered. He was no longer frightened or panicked, now that he knew his career wasn’t at stake.
“It’s just an employee who tried to extort money from us. It happens. We were forced to settle with her, to get rid of her, and she’s going to admit later today that her claims were false.”
“Were they? Or did you have to buy her off because she was telling the truth?” Ashley asked the right questions, but Marshall had ready answers.
“If she were telling the truth, she wouldn’t have settled and would have won the suit. We would have won in court, but the board didn’t want to go through it,” Marshall said matter-of-factly. “I never had an affair with her, Ashley. Her accusations were false. Liz believes me. And so does the board. I hope you
“I don’t know how to tell you how grateful I am, and how sorry. I promise you that nothing like it will ever happen again.”
“I’m sure it won’t,” she said kindly. “I know that these thingshappen. But let’s hope it never does again. It was an expensive mistake. I’m going to have Simon write the statement for her to give to the press, retracting her accusations.”
“I think he’s working on it now.”
“We’ll have to let the stockholders know that we paid her a settlement to avoid the time, expense, and bad publicity of a lawsuit. And she retracted her false claims, and we’re considering the expense an early installment of your bonus, from what you’d get at the end of the year anyway.” It was far less than his projected bonus, so it shouldn’t upset anyone unduly. What he wanted to be sure of now was that Liz would never know his accuser’s claims had been true. He could tell Liz that they had been forced to settle with her to avoid further scandal and a lengthy lawsuit. But he would say nothing about the photographs and letters. There was no reason Liz would ever know, and his reputation would be salvaged. All they had to live through now was the scandal in the press for a few hours until she made her statement, hopefully by the end of the day.
He called Liz after he spoke to Connie, and warned her that there would be some ugly stories in the press that day, as part of the pressure Wheeler was putting on him to settle, but they would be recanted by tonight or tomorrow, and the threatened suit had been settled, and she had gotten honest and was retracting her claim.
“Is everything okay?” Liz asked, sounding panicked.
“It will be soon. She wouldn’t back down unless we paid her a settlement. It’s extortion, but the board doesn’t want to deal with a lawsuit, even if we won. It will all be over soon. And you’d better warn the kids about what will be on the news today. You can tell them it was all a lie.” What mattered most to him was that Liz believed him and would never know the truth. Of that he was nowsure. And after he spoke to Liz, he called Ashley from his office. He warned her of what would be on the news that day, and he said it was all posturing over a threatened lawsuit, based on a false claim of sexual harassment, made by a disgruntled employee who had been fired, and tried to take revenge on him for it. It sounded sensible to him and was a plausible explanation for what had happened.
“What the hell is that about?” Ashley said, instantly suspicious. But Marshall was calm now. The nightmare was almost over. And he sounded quiet and confident when he answered. He was no longer frightened or panicked, now that he knew his career wasn’t at stake.
“It’s just an employee who tried to extort money from us. It happens. We were forced to settle with her, to get rid of her, and she’s going to admit later today that her claims were false.”
“Were they? Or did you have to buy her off because she was telling the truth?” Ashley asked the right questions, but Marshall had ready answers.
“If she were telling the truth, she wouldn’t have settled and would have won the suit. We would have won in court, but the board didn’t want to go through it,” Marshall said matter-of-factly. “I never had an affair with her, Ashley. Her accusations were false. Liz believes me. And so does the board. I hope you
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