Finally the judge spoke.
“This appears highly unusual.”
“Yes, Your Honor.”
Miriam nodded.
“It was created by Richard’s grandfather.”
The judge looked up.
“Why?”
I almost laughed.
Because I knew the answer.
The same answer that had shocked me when I discovered it.
Miriam spoke calmly.
“The founder believed family control of the company should never pass to someone whose conduct endangered the stability of the family itself.”
The room became even quieter.
Richard’s grandfather had built the company from nothing.
His generation had survived economic collapses, lawsuits, and hostile takeovers.
Apparently they worried less about competition than about heirs destroying themselves.
