Brianna Worth (Mobile):
Abigail Davis-Powers (Mobile):
Abby and the rest of town had already heard about the Worth’s most recent misfortune. Just weeks after the Worth’s Easter party, the hedge fund Edward worked for—Standard Bearer—was being investigated for securities fraud. It was front-page news in The Cannondale Bulletin, The Cannondale Villager, several online sources—The Daily Cannondale, Breaking News: Cannondale, Neighborly News—and was even mentioned in the back pages of The Wall Street Journal’s “Greater New York” section.
SECURITIES FRAUD AND CONSPIRACY CHARGES RAILED AGAINST STANDARD BEARER
STANDARD BEARER’S PROFITS CALLED INTO QUESTION
QUESTIONABLE STANDARDS AT STANDARD BEARER
Several top executives were accused of trading on information from company insiders at computer and chemical companies, reaping a combined $12 million in illegal profits. Three had been arrested and more arrests were anticipated.
“Standard Bearer is riddled with criminal conduct,” said the federal prosecutor. Edward had been questioned but not arrested. He swore to Brianna that the misconduct had occurred before he started his job six months ago. Brianna wanted to believe him, but when Neighborly News ran an article titled HOW DID WORTH REALLY GAIN HIS WORTH?, she started to question Edward’s culpability, too.
Brianna and Edward first met at the University of Michigan while in business school; she’d known right away that he would be successful. She was attracted to his smarts and savvy. Post-graduation, Edward was the youngest managing director in the Chicago office of Merrill Lynch. His career had been on an upward trajectory…until the AIG meltdown. And now this.
It’s just a career challenge, she told herself. Edward will get us through.
After all, he was still employed. Standard Bearer hadn’t gone under yet. The firm was being investigated and a few of its top players were arrested, but no one had been convicted yet. Without a conviction, clients couldn’t pull funding before their agreement dates were up. It was contractual.
As long as Edward wasn’t arrested, Brianna knew he, along with the remaining executives, could make Standard Bearer profitable, which would keep their clients’ money with the fund. She believed in him, and her feel-good meds bolstered her conviction.
Edward wasn’t feeling as confident. He worried that he had peaked as a twenty-eight-year-old managing director at Merrill Lynch, which seemed like eons ago. The AIG firing had rocked him, and now this.
We lost so much money when I left AIG, he often thought. All those stock options that were part of my bonuses…
At Standard Bearer, he hadn’t traded on insider information, but he was afraid he would be taken down with the others. Everyone at work was panicked, and it didn’t help that he came home at the end of every day to Brianna’s Xanax-laced pep talks.
I liked her better when she lived her days in a rage, he thought. Before her counseling, before her anger management/life-coaching skills, before her daily yoga routines, before her meds. Their kitchen was now littered with positive affirmations: “Anger is a short madness” and “For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” He wanted to rip them from the walls.
Edward knew Brianna, and he knew that, even with the meds, it was just a matter of time before she cracked. That was why he continued to allow her to throw lavish parties and spend money carelessly. He loved her, and doing those things buoyed her, helped her function. But the financial pressure was starting to kill him, and he felt increasingly isolated. He didn’t know when it would happen, but he knew he was going to break in his own way, too.
Now, weeks after the initial bad publicity, Abby was calling Brianna back after receiving her real estate-related text.
“Hi, Brianna,” said Abby as she reviewed the Worths’ current and previous listings. She noted the couple’s long working relationship with realtor Skippy Travis. “How are you?”
“Not great,” Brianna responded, “but okay. Edward’s firm will survive. We just have to wait. With that said, Edward wants to sell the house. He’s in total panic mode again. You’d think we have no savings with the way he’s reacting.”
“Speaking as someone who has been through something similar, I do understand why he is worried, Brianna,” Abby said. “Don’t you?”
“Of course, and I’m worried, too, but he can be so overly dramatic,” she responded.
“How can I help?” asked Abby.
“We need a good agent,” she said. “Since moving to the area we’ve used Skippy, but Edward wasn’t happy with how he negotiated on this house. Edward was wondering if you can represent us. If not, he wants to interview two or three of White’s top agents.”
“My firm doesn’t allow managers to have listings,” Abby responded. “White’s sees it as a conflict of interest given that I’m supposed to be mentoring and should not be in direct competition with the agents that work for the firm. But I can suggest several agents for you and Edward to interview. What are you looking for in an agent?”
“They have to be the firm’s highest producers,” Brianna responded.
“Okay,” Abby said, “will do. And how are you and your kids doing?”
“The kids are okay. I keep Edward from them when he gets into one of his moods,” she said. She felt she could speak with Abby about her personal life given Colin’s suicide. “When Edward took the job at Standard Bearer, we hoped things would finally settle down, including him. But he hasn’t, and he’s drinking way too much, which doesn’t help anything. I never know what to expect when he walks in the door. I have my own history of mood swings, too, so I understand what he goes through, but that doesn’t make it easier when he’s freaking out. I got help and medication. I started practicing yoga regularly, and I meet with Jack weekly for private sessions. All of it keeps me level. Edward won’t even go to a shrink.”
“Sounds like you are doing as well as can be expected,” said Abby. “It’s harder for men to admit they need outside help. I hope he figures it out soon.”
“Have you considered private sessions with Jack?” Brianna asked. “He could guide you through your grieving process. He has been instrumental in helping me.”
“I appreciate the suggestion, Brianna, very much,” said Abby sincerely. “I did start sessions with him, and they are helping.”