“They thought I was asleep in my bedroom at the Collins estate, but I was standing in the dark hallway.”

I pressed the play button and set the phone on the mahogany table.

The speaker crackled for a second, and then my mother’s sharp, mocking voice filled the room.

*”You’re nothing but a pathetic, broke handyman, Daniel,”* her voice sneered through the speaker.

*”You can’t even provide a decent prime rib for Christmas dinner, let alone the life I deserve.”*

My father flinched slightly at the sound of her voice, his eyes dropping to the floor.

Then, Martin’s deep, gravelly laugh echoed from the phone, accompanied by the distinct clink of a glass.

*”Let the loser eat his cheap ham,”* Martin’s voice said, sounding thick with expensive scotch.

*”As long as the wire transfers from the construction accounts keep clearing into our offshore fund, he can play house all he wants.”*

*”Just make sure he doesn’t check the quarterly ledger before the new year, Claire.”*

Mr. Harrison’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward so quickly his chair squeaked against the floor.