He sank into the leather armchair behind him.

The leather groaned under his weight.

“You wouldn’t do that to your own family,” he said. “Think of the scandal. The papers would destroy the brand.”

“The brand is already bleeding,” I said. “I am going to save it. Without you.”

My phone buzzed again in my hand.

I looked down.

The contact name was Daniel.

“Are you going to the harbor?” my father asked, his eyes tracking my phone.

“That is none of your business,” I said.

“He has the primary ledger on that laptop, Emily. If he gets on that boat, you’ll never prove the rest of the transactions.”

“I have enough to put you away,” I said. “That’s all I need right now.”

He rubbed his temples.

His hands were shaking worse now.

“Twenty-four hours,” I repeated. “Not a minute more.”

The heavy oak door of the library clicked.

It swung open slowly.

My mother, Helen, stood in the doorway.

She was wearing a silk robe, her graying hair pinned up neatly.

She looked from my father to me, her eyes settling on the documents on the table.