Chapter 8 - The Aftermath in the Snow
The morning after Christmas Eve broke bright and clear. A crisp, blue sky hung over Pinehaven, casting a glittering diamond sheet across the fresh foot of snow that had fallen overnight.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the lodge's master suite, holding a steaming mug of dark roast coffee. Down in the courtyard, Eli was already bundled up in his red snowsuit, happily building a massive snowman with the lodge’s head groundskeeper, a kind old man named Thomas who had worked for my grandfather decades ago.
A gentle knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," I said.
Grandma Eleanor entered, wearing a cozy wool cardigan over her clothes, carrying a thick leather-bound binder.
"The forensic accountants arrived in town an hour ago, Natalie," Eleanor said, setting the binder down on the mahogany coffee table. "They’ve already pulled the digital ledgers for Whitmore Enterprises from the main server."
I walked over and sat across from her. "What did they find?"
"Grant was worse than an idiot," Eleanor sighed, shaking her head. "He was a desperate idiot. He diverted over two million dollars from the firm’s pension accounts into a failed crypto scheme in Miami. Your father knew about it and was trying to cover it up by taking out illegal secondary mortgages on the lodge."
I rubbed my temples. "If I hadn't taken over yesterday, the whole company would have been bankrupt by spring."
"Precisely," Eleanor said, tapping the folder. "Which is why what happens today is critical. Your father and Grant are currently downstairs in the driveway."
I froze. "They're here?"
"They’ve been sitting in Richard’s car since seven o'clock this morning," Eleanor said dryly. "They know the police are forty-eight hours away from executing a search warrant on the office. They’ve come to beg."
I took a slow sip of my coffee, feeling a quiet, steady coldness settle over my mind.
"Let them up," I said.
Five minutes later, the double doors of the master suite opened.
My father and brother walked in. Neither of them looked like the powerful corporate executives who had strutted through Pinehaven forty-eight hours ago. My father’s eyes were bloodshot, his suit rumpled, and Grant looked like he hadn't slept a single minute.
My mother was not with them.
"Where’s Mom?" I asked calmly, not standing up from my chair.
"She... she was too ashamed to come in," my father rasped, his voice sounding hollow and old. "She’s waiting in the car."
"She isn't ashamed, Dad," I corrected him softly. "She's afraid."
Grant took two fast steps toward the table, clutching his hands together in a gesture of desperate supplication. "Natalie... please. You have to listen to me. If the board files charges for the pension funds, I’m looking at ten to fifteen years in federal prison! I was tricked! The guys in Miami lied to me!"
"You didn't care about rules when you signed my forged signature on those municipal loan guarantees three years ago, did you, Grant?" I asked smoothly.
Grant went entirely pale. "How... how do you know about that?"
"I’ve spent the last three years keeping track of every illegal document you forced through the office while I was working two jobs to support Eli," I said, opening a file on my laptop and turning the screen toward them. "I knew everything, Grant. I was just waiting for the right moment to make sure you couldn't destroy Grandma’s legacy."
My father collapsed into an armchair across from me, burying his face in his trembling hands. "Natalie... I’m your father. I made mistakes. I favored Grant... I let Denise treat you badly... but please... don't send your brother to prison. It will destroy what's left of this family."
"You destroyed this family five years ago, Dad," I said, looking him straight in his eyes. "When you told me I was dead to you because I wouldn't let Mark abuse me anymore. You chose money and status over your own child."
May you like
I closed the laptop with a crisp snap.
"Here are my terms," I announced.
