Marcus merely managed certain of its assets, and he did so under strict fiduciary conditions — conditions, Arthur explained, that existed precisely because Marcus’s grandfather had not fully trusted the generations that would come after him to distinguish between stewardship and ownership.

“And the moment Noah and Liam were born,” Arthur said, “they became protected beneficiaries of that trust.

Which triggered, automatically, a formal review of your management status.” He looked at his son.

“Which is how we found it.”

“Found what?” Marcus said, but the bravado had gone thin.

“Eight hundred and sixty thousand dollars,” Arthur said, and his voice did not rise, which was somehow worse than if it had, “that has moved out of trust-linked accounts over the last nine months.”