I spent two days cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Before tasting anything, my mother-in-law m0cked my food and homemade rolls. I smiled, packed every dish into my car, and left. Four hours later, their calls wouldn’t stop.

Eric sat beside him.

He looked as if he had barely slept.

Somehow, Diane had decided she belonged at the meeting too.

Brooke sat beside her, nervously turning a designer bracelet around her wrist.

Across from them were members of Hawthorne’s acquisition team, two attorneys, and Julian Hawthorne, the firm’s managing partner.

Eric stared at me.

“You set this up.”

I placed the folder on the table.

“No. Your company generated financial records. I reviewed them.”

Diane scoffed.

“This whole thing is ridiculous. Claire is upset because I criticized Thanksgiving dinner.”

Julian looked at her calmly.

“I don’t know what happened at your family dinner, Mrs. Mercer.”

Then he gestured toward me.