Julian opened the inner wooden door immediately, stepped onto the porch, and pulled the door shut behind him.

His face looked pale in the autumn afternoon light.

He adjusted his gold wristwatch twice, sliding his hand nervously over his cuff.

“Elena,” he said, keeping his voice to a low whisper.

“We don’t need to bring bank investigators into this.

I made some bad real estate investments, but we’re brother and sister.

If you push this to court, it destroys everything I have left.”

“I brought the surrender notice for Dad’s account books,” I said, handing him the white envelope.