I told him he had stolen from his own daughter’s future, drained our household accounts, and watched his mother call me a leech while his business survived on financing provided by my father.

Daniel lowered his head.

“Emily, please. If you pull the debt, the company could go into receivership. I could lose everything.”

I remembered standing beneath those fluorescent lights with Lily’s formula trapped behind a declined card.

“You should have thought about Lily when you decided she could go without food to teach me a lesson.”

Then I turned toward Laura.

“Execute the receivership petition. Freeze the commercial accounts.”

I paused before giving the final instruction.

“Remove Daniel and Patricia from the board.”

Part 4: The Price of an Empty Pocket

Patricia shot to her feet before Laura could respond. Her carefully controlled appearance was beginning to unravel, and for the first time since I had known her, fear had replaced the superiority in her eyes.

“Emily, please. Have mercy. The Carter name is all we have left.”