“I don’t want to burn it down, Gerald.
There are a hundred and forty people at Meridian who have kids and mortgages.
I’m not Chelsea. I don’t take things I didn’t earn.”
He flinched.
“I want three things,” I said.
“One. My name goes back on the company as co-founder. Publicly. In the history, on the website, in the story you tell investors. Because it’s true, and I’m done letting you tell it without me.
Two. A fair licensing agreement for the patent, paid to me, going forward. Ruth will handle the number. It will be reasonable and it will be permanent.
Three.”
I paused.
“Three is the one you’ll hate.”
“What,” he said.
“You’re going to sit across from our two children — who are grown now, who are not stupid, who have been asking me for three months what really happened — and you’re going to tell them the truth.
