Chapter 2 - THE UNRAVELING"What... what is this?" Daniel stammered, flipping a page, his eyes darting frantically across the columns of numbers.
Madison’s laugh finally died in her throat. She leaned over, peering at the paper, her lip curling in disdain. "Oh, please. More of her fake paperwork. Dad, tell him to throw it away. She's embarrassing us."
Harrington Sr. slammed his wine glass down, the sound ringing sharply across the white tablecloth. "Daniel! What is the meaning of this spectacle? Explain to your sister right now why your wife is spreading libel at our family dinner!"
Daniel couldn't speak. He was staring at page four—the personal liability clause that proved Harrington Enterprises was legally insolvent, and that I was the sole financial shield keeping their entire empire from liquidation.
"Two minutes, fifteen seconds," I said, my voice cutting through the rising murmur of the surrounding tables. People were starting to stare.
"Daniel," Madison snapped, losing her cool for the first time. "Tell her to shut up! Why are you looking at her like that?"
"Because," a new, cold voice echoed from behind us, "he knows the math doesn't lie."
We all turned. Standing at the edge of our section was Marcus Vance, senior partner at Vance Forensic Accounting, whom I had quietly invited to meet me in the lobby for dessert. He slipped a business card onto the table next to the folder and nodded politely at me.
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"Good evening, Mrs. Harrington," Marcus said smoothly. "I trust the preliminary brief arrived to your satisfaction? As of five o'clock today, all lines of credit backed by Mrs. Harrington’s personal collateral have been frozen pending a formal fraud investigation."
The table erupted.
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