It was one of the largest charitable organizations not only in the country, but in the world, and the scope of work was far, far beyond Thompson donations.
There were teams on the ground floor that worked on smaller-scale projects with individuals. Projects like The Zones that were granted money based on the fact that they aligned with the Thompson Foundation’s principles. Projects that focused on the needs of the unhoused, on working in underprivileged areas in the country that were in need of better health care, for populations that didn’t have many educational or career-based opportunities.
Then came the larger-scale teams, those that worked with companies, many of them being the country’s largest and most lucrative. These companies came to the foundation, partnering with them to handle their charitable work.
The goal of the Thompson Foundation had evolved to not only garner donations of money and resources but to ensure that donations were being made and processed to legitimate organizations and that the money being given was actually going to the charity in question.
The Colson Corporation was one of those large companies, a company that proudly stamped the Thompson name on their charitable donation pages.Thompson Approved.
Their name, in short, meant something.
“I presume this has gone through legal, then?” she asked.
Every company that the Thompson Foundation worked with was heavily vetted in a system her grandmother would never back away from; there was no way Elizabeth Thompson was going to lend her reputation to anyone who didn’t deserve it. Part of those contracts maintained that clients upheld certain values.
“Of course.Technically, there is no breach of contract.” Lily huffed out an obviously frustrated breath. “Something about how this wasn’t done under the name of Tobias Colson himself or the parent company listed in the actual contract; they certainly worked through a loophole on their end.”
“And now if the foundation cuts ties,wewill be in breach of contract,” Charlotte surmised darkly.
“Exactly. I’ve made the board aware of the situation and scheduled a meeting in two hours to discuss the next steps. I’m just unfortunately not there to manage it myself. I’ll be conferenced in, of course, but… it’s going to likely be a bit laborious. And I thought, especially with the political ties, that you may want to personally be at the meeting and weigh in on the resolution.”
“You thought correctly,” Charlotte confirmed. She briefly muted herself as she leaned forward. “Hamish? Change of plans. I’ll need to go to the foundation headquarters.”
He gave her a nod, swiftly changing lanes as if it had been his intention to head in the other direction the entire time.
She unmuted and turned her attention back to her phone just as Lily started talking again. “Truly, I apologize for dumping this in your lap. I’m sure the last thing you wanted to do tonight was be called in to handle a situation at the foundation, let alone a situation that calls for an in-person board meeting.”
“It’s really okay, Lily. It’s hardly out of my way.” Which wasn’t a lie. Lily had called her at the perfect time; if Hamish had driven one more block, he’d have had to double back to get on the correct highway.
Lily’s dry amusement was clear in her voice. “I’m certain that you were likely still in your office for your own workday, but regardless, I know that we both want to get ahead of this and manage any potential fallout, and I’m a bit tied up in San Francisco at the moment.”
Charlotte nodded despite the fact that Lily couldn’t see her. The nod wasn’t for Lily, anyway; it was for herself.
The Thompson Foundation was expanding its headquarters in San Francisco, and the project was no small undertaking. Lily had, unsurprisingly, jumped right on to oversee the task.
“All right, I have some brainstorming to do. I’ll be seeing you, virtually, at the meeting shortly.”
“Great. I’ll email you all of the info.”
As soon as Charlotte hung up, her mind changed gears, and she called Sutton.
Lily’s assessment that Charlotte was still in the office wouldn’t have been incorrect for the majority of the time they’d known one another. Charlotte’s late evenings at work were no secret to anyone.
But she’d left work tonight twenty minutes ago, at only four thirty. She’d scheduled all of her meetings for the morning, before using the afternoon to power through all of her paperwork, because she’d been antsy to get out of there.
It was a new feeling for her, that drive to go home as soon as possible.
But this… everything… was allnewfor her, now that her life included Sutton. Now that her life was starting to revolve around Sutton, Charlotte could admit to herself. Before Sutton, work was the sole orbital point in her world.
Work still was a fixed point; it likely always would be. But it wasn’t the only one anymore. It wasn’t even the brightest, most interesting one.
Charlotte found herself itching to manage her work hours as efficiently as possible these days. Especially when she had plans with Sutton.
Which she did. Frequently.
Today, for instance.
“Hey, love,” Sutton answered the phone, dragging Charlotte from her thoughts.
