“Ms. Price,” she said. “The board chairman is on the line. He wants to know why you aren’t in the meeting.”

Evelyn looked at Nathan, then at me, her hand hovering over her laptop.

“Tell him we are coming on now,” Evelyn said.

Nathan took a deep breath, his hand tightening around his phone as it began to light up with an incoming call.

The screen of Nathan’s phone glowed bright blue against the polished mahogany of the conference table.

The caller ID showed Victor’s name.

Nathan did not pick it up.

He let it ring, the vibration buzzing against the wood with a dull, rhythmic hum.

Evelyn kept her hand on her laptop screen, her fingers twitching slightly.

“Are you going to answer that?” Evelyn asked.

“No,” Nathan said.

The phone fell silent, then immediately began to vibrate again.

“He is desperate,” I said.

My own hands were cold, pressed flat against my knees under the table.

“He has been calling me since four this morning,” Nathan said, looking at the screen.

“He wants to know if I have signed the disclosure forms yet.”