Margaret walked beside him, her silver chain bracelet catching the light as she clutched her handbag.

“Emily,” Grant called, stopping five feet away by the elevators.

I stopped on the polished marble, keeping Sophie behind my right side.

“The state audit referral is going to wreck Apex and the main development firm,” Grant said, his smooth, rehearsed tone completely gone.

“If you enforce the full restitution schedule right away, every corporate line of credit gets frozen.”

Margaret moved closer to her son, her formal words sharp and clipped.