Adam Rytenskild was given four hours to consult lawyers. It was March, and the Tabcorp chief executive had been summoned to a late morning meeting with the wagering company’s board of directors to answer allegations he had made a vulgar remark about Victorian gaming regulator Annette Kimmitt. Would he prefer to resign or be fired?

Instead of consulting the lawyers – he could not find any at such short notice – Rytenskild wandered around the city and back home to his apartment in Port Melbourne. En route, he spoke to his wife and two friends.