Charles looked down at his shoes, his face turning a dark, blotchy red.

Victoria ignored him, keeping her focus entirely on me.

“A trial would be very noisy,” Victoria said.

“It would ruin the family name in this county,” she said.

“It would ruin the business,” she added.

“Good,” I said.

“If the business ruins, there is nothing left for anyone,” Victoria countered.

“Not even you,” she said.

She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper.

“We can end this today,” she said.

“We can have our lawyers draft an agreement,” she said.

“A very generous agreement,” she emphasized.

“You get the trailer, the land, and a life of absolute comfort,” she said.

“All you have to do is sign a small piece of paper,” she said.

“An agreement that says we had a misunderstanding,” she said.

“And that you will never speak of these documents to anyone,” she added.

I looked at her, seeing the desperation behind her cold, green eyes.

She wasn’t trying to protect her father’s memory.

She was trying to save herself from a federal prison.