No drug is more intoxicating to a narcissist than believing he has manipulated someone smarter than himself. I saw it in the way his body relaxed. In the smug warmth that settled into his expression.
The next morning, before sunrise, I met Martin and a trust attorney in a conference room above my offices.
By 9:14 a.m., the transfer was complete.
The company no longer sat in my personal name.
The founder equity.
The intellectual property.
The controlling interest.
All of it was inside the trust.
Three nights later, I signed Caleb’s postnup.
My mother and sister were there, both glowing with anticipation. Caleb presented it as an act of love. My mother sighed, “Marriage takes trust.” Tiana added, “He’s just trying to protect you from yourself.”
I signed every page.
They toasted afterward.
Protection.
Family.
New beginnings.
They had no idea my father had already reached forward from the grave and saved me.
A month later Caleb filed for divorce.
He had me served in the middle of a board meeting.