“Will you testify?”
Nora looked toward the window.
“If the employees are paid, yes.”
“They will be.”
That afternoon, I went to the company building with Mara, Reeves, Nora, and a court-appointed receiver.
My father was waiting in the lobby.
His face had changed. Without the performance of Christmas laughter, he looked older, his cheeks gray and his shoulders bowed.
Madison stood beside him in a camel coat, her arms folded tightly. Ethan was behind them, staring at the floor.
“You froze my accounts,” Dad said.
“I froze the trust accounts.”
“They’re my accounts.”
“They belong to the company.”
“I built this company.”
“Grandpa built it. You managed it.”
His jaw tightened.
Madison stepped forward.
“You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“I have the documents.”
“Documents can be forged.”
“Your emails cannot.”
For the first time, Madison’s expression cracked.
Ethan looked at her.
“What emails?”
She turned on him.
“Don’t start.”
Dad’s eyes moved between us.
“What did you bring here?”
Mara held up the court order.
“A receiver, an auditor, and authorization to secure the books.”
Dad reached for it. Mara pulled it away.
