He turned back to face his father with his chin raised.

“This is a shakedown, Dad,” Ethan said, his pitch-deck rhythm speeding up into a fast, harsh, clipped tone.

“She adopted four boys who look vaguely like me to pull off an extortion scheme twenty minutes before dinner.”

I stood three feet inside the library door with my briefcase in my left hand.

I didn’t move toward the walnut seating area.

“She knew Natalie’s family was watching the foundation press releases,” Ethan went on, waving an arm back toward me without meeting my eyes.