“It’s more than that,” Daniel said, looking at me seriously. “This gives you total leverage. Your father has been using the restaurant assets to secure loans for his own personal debts.”

He handed me a folder containing a summary of my father’s recent financial transactions.

“Arthur is completely leveraged,” Daniel said. “If the bank realizes the land leases are fraudulent, they will call in his personal loans immediately. He’ll be bankrupt by noon tomorrow.”

I looked at the documents, seeing my father’s signature next to Gavin’s on loans totaling millions of dollars.

My own father had risked everything I worked for to cover his own failures.

“I need to see him,” I said quietly.

“Emily, be careful,” Daniel warned. “He’s desperate. Desperate men do dangerous things.”

“He’s my father,” I said, though the word felt hollow in my throat. “And he’s going to return what he stole.”

I took the folder and the key, walking out into the chilly harbor air.

The city lights reflected off the dark water as I drove toward the Cumberland Avenue estate.

The grand old house stood dark against the night sky, its windows like empty eyes.