Robert’s tone remained level.

“Your company isn’t in trouble because your wife threw wine in my wife’s face,” he said.

Charles stared at him.

“The contracts were reviewed,” Robert continued, “because your company had documented delays, missed obligations, and a dangerously fragile capital structure.

For months, my group made exceptions — extended your terms, renewed your agreements, carried your failures — because our children were going to marry, and I did not wish to harm the family my daughter was joining.

Once that relationship ended, the exceptions ended too.