On Christmas Eve, my own daughter pushed me toward the door and whispered, “Grant doesn’t want you here.” Then her husband looked at my cheap coat and snapped, “People like you don’t belong at events like this.”

I glanced at Rachel.

She said nothing.

Grant persisted, “You’re family. Fix it.”

His audacity was almost impressive.

Five minutes earlier, he’d called me “people like you.”

Suddenly, I counted as family.

Charles grew confrontational.

“You think being majority owner makes you untouchable?”

“No.”

“But you’re going to destroy my career over paperwork?”

“I haven’t destroyed anything.”

I held his gaze.

“Your records will decide that.”

Then my phone rang.

Meridian’s general counsel was calling.

I answered on speakerphone.

“Evelyn,” she said, “we recovered the deleted procurement folder.”

Charles turned