Chapter 49 Dominic
Dominic
Garrett's conference room smells like expensive coffee and leather cleaner.
Mattaniah's scent has been competing with both since we sat down, drifting across the table every time he shifts in his chair.
Garrett noticed it when we walked in. Her eyes moved to his stomach and then back to the documents.
Amos is beside me at the table with his left arm braced against his ribs and a legal pad full of notes. His handwriting is smaller than usual but the notes are precise. Mattaniah is on my other side in a chair he pulled close enough that his knee touches mine under the table.
"The asset transfer?" Amos asks it while writing.
"The transfer is complete. The amended articles reflect the updated leadership structure. Dominic Hale is confirmed as CEO with full executive authority and Amos as CFO. All governance documents have been updated to reflect the removal of Richard Hale from any capacity."
"And Richard's remaining claims?"
"He has none." Garrett folds her hands on the table. "The combination of the board vote, the forensic evidence, the pending criminal charges, and the heir clause creates a legal position that is, in the counsel's words, unassailable."
"Unassailable." Amos writes the word on his legal pad and underlines it. "I want that in the formal opinion letter."
Mattaniah's knee presses harder against mine under the table. I press back. His scent spikes warm for half a second in a way that only I'm close enough to catch.
"What about the criminal proceedings?" I direct this at Garrett.
"Richard Hale is being held without bail pending trial for aggravated assault.
The trial date is set for eleven weeks from now.
" Garrett pulls a separate folder. "The conspiracy charges against Mattaniah's mother have been filed and are proceeding.
She's been released on her own recognizance with no-contact conditions and GPS monitoring.
The preliminary hearing is in three weeks. "
"One more item." Garrett looks at me. "The board has requested a formal announcement regarding the pregnancy as standard corporate disclosure for a qualifying heir event. The announcement would confirm the pregnancy, name the parents, and activate the public-facing protections under the clause."
"When?" I look at Mattaniah.
"They'd like it by end of week." Garrett's gaze moves to Mattaniah as well. "It can be as brief or detailed as you prefer."
Mattaniah taps his fingers against the table twice before he speaks. "No."
The word cuts through the room, though, Garrett’s gaze remains unchanged.
"Not by end of week." Mattaniah's voice is steady but his scent has gone sharp at the edges.
"The baby is seven weeks. I haven't even had the first ultrasound.
I'm not making a public announcement about a pregnancy that's barely into the first trimester so the board can activate a business provision. "
"Mattaniah—" Garrett starts.
"The legal requirement is confirmation and identification.
That's fine. But it happens on my timeline, not the board's.
" His jaw is set and his knee has pulled away from mine under the table.
"I spent twenty-six years having other people decide when and how my body got used.
I'm not starting that pattern with my own child. "
The conference room goes quiet. Garrett looks at me. I keep my eyes on Mattaniah because the instinct to smooth this over, to agree with the board and manage his reaction later, is exactly the instinct I've been unlearning.
"When?" I ask him.
His shoulders drop a fraction. "After the first ultrasound. After I've seen a heartbeat and heard from the doctor that everything is healthy. Then we announce."
"The first ultrasound is scheduled for next week." Amos says it without looking up from his legal pad, the logistics already mapped. "I can have the announcement drafted and ready to file the same day if the results are clear."
"Then next week." I turn back to Garrett. "Draft the announcement. Hold it until after the ultrasound."
Garrett nods. "I'll have it ready."
Mattaniah's knee finds mine again under the table. The pressure is deliberate. Through the bond something settles between us.
The meeting wraps in another ten minutes. Amos records everything on his legal pad. We shake hands with Garrett and counsel. Amos winces at the handshake on his left side but covers it well enough that only I notice.
The elevator down to the lobby is quiet. The three of us stand in a row, Mattaniah in the middle, his reflection visible in the polished doors.
"The corporate side is closed and the criminal side is proceeding." Amos says it watching the floor numbers descend. "Father has no remaining legal avenue to challenge anything."
The elevator opens to the lobby. We walk out into midday sun that's warm enough to make Mattaniah squint. Amos puts his sunglasses on carefully because his ribs still object to sudden movements.
"Lunch?" Mattaniah looks at both of us. "I'm starving and the kidney bean wants Thai food again."
"The kidney bean wanted Thai food yesterday." Amos adjusts his sunglasses.
"The kidney bean wants what it wants." Mattaniah starts walking toward the Thai restaurant two blocks south. "Are you coming or do I have to eat for four by myself?"
"For four?" I fall into step beside him.
"Three parents plus one kidney bean. That's four." He glances at me sideways. "Math, Dominic. You run a company."
Amos makes a sound from my other side that he disguises as a cough.