Whitfield looked at his coffee. “Aldridge named his parents. Claire’s family. Ryan was visibly scared and upset.” He paused. “I told him to be careful. Not to do anything impulsive.” His voice was flat. “When he got married, went on his honeymoon, and drowned, I should’ve voiced my fears, but I was a coward.”
He said that last part without excusing himself. On the drive back to Asheville, Marsh pulled everything on Warren Aldridge: the 1999 merger had gotten him $40 million. He lived in a private lakefront compound outside Charlotte. In a 2018 commencement address, he spoke at length about integrity as the foundation of lasting enterprise.