He said what he decided over the weekend that what Deshawn had done was real damage to real trust and it couldn't be undone and they both had to carry that going forward that Marcus was not going to pretend it hadn't happened that there were consequences not termination because that was not the answer to someone who had a sick child and had made a terrible decision out of fear rather than malice but real structural consequences. A review period, a change in access to financial information, a conversation that would have to happen regularly and honestly for a long time. Desawn took it all without deflecting, without excuses beyond the first true one he'd already given. At the end, he said, "Why are you doing this?" The fair version. I mean, why not just because you've been in this with me for 4 years, Mark said.
And because Jaylen needs his father working and because I believe people are more than the worst thing they've done when they're scared. He looked at him steadily. Don't make me wrong about you. I won't, Deshawn said, and his voice was the steiest it had been in the whole conversation. Good, Marcus said.
Now, let's go to work. They got out of the truck. Tommy was already on site. Had been since 7. And he looked at Desawn and then at Marcus and Marcus gave him the small nod that meant handled.
Move forward. Went back to work without another word. The three of them worked through the morning. The property was nearly finished now. The framing complete.
The restoration reaching its final stages. Everything that had been hidden and damaged brought into the open and dealt with properly. At 10:15, Marcus got a text from Olivia. Chen meeting went well. Both are with me going into Tuesday.
Renick doesn't know yet. At 11:00, Renick called. He wanted to meet before the informal session. I declined. I told him I was busy.
At 11:40, he asked, "Busy with what?" I said, "A job site meeting. He doesn't know what that means, and I am enjoying that." Marcus smiled at his phone. Typed back, "You're enjoying this?" She wrote, "I'm competitive. It's one of my better flaws." And then the board meeting is in seven days. I'm ready.
I think I'm ready. A pause. I'm ready. He wrote, "You're ready," she wrote. "Stay Saturday." Looked at that for a moment.
"Stay where?" "Dinner," she wrote. "My father wants to have everyone again, including Amara." He found a chess set in the study and apparently informed Omar via text that he wants a rematch on a game they apparently played and I know nothing about. Marcus stared at his phone. They're texting each other since last Wednesday, she wrote. He got her number from you.
Apparently, she has been coaching him on strategy via text. I believe his exact message to her this week was, "Your Bishop Gambit almost cost me in the practice game I played myself," she responded. Almost is not a win, Mr. Richard. A pause.
She is 8 years old and she is ending my father. Marcus laughed out loud on a job site in the middle of the morning. Tommy looked at him and raised his eyebrows and Marcus shook his head and Tommy went back to work. He typed, "We'll be there." "7," she wrote and then Marcus. "Yeah, thank you for all of it.