Chapter 1 - The Seat at the Head of the Table
Eight hours earlier, Daniel had believed Thanksgiving’s greatest challenge would be surviving another argument about his father’s company.
He woke before sunrise to the sound of Lauren moving around their kitchen. Their golden retriever, Cooper, followed her from counter to counter, hoping something edible would fall.
Daniel found Lauren placing a pumpkin pie into a white carrying box.
“You made two?” he asked.
“One for dinner and one for when your mother says the first one is too sweet.”
Daniel smiled and wrapped his arms around her.
“Thank you for coming today.”
Lauren looked up at him.
“You say that every holiday as though I’m entering a battlefield.”
“You’ve met my family.”
She tried to smile, but Daniel saw the concern behind it.
For weeks, tension had been building between Daniel and his younger sister, Megan. Their father, Robert Reed, had founded Reed Residential almost thirty years earlier. What began with a borrowed truck and a small team of carpenters had become one of the largest home-renovation companies in the state.
When Robert died unexpectedly, Daniel became chief executive.
Megan remained financial director, while her husband, Chris, managed several construction projects.
To outsiders, the transition appeared smooth.
Inside the family, it was anything but.
Megan believed Daniel had received control because their father favored him. Chris encouraged that belief whenever possible.
The truth was more complicated.
Reed Residential had been close to collapse when Daniel took control. Several major projects were behind schedule, vendors were demanding payment, and the company carried more debt than anyone had realized.
Daniel had spent two years repairing the damage.
He sold his vacation property, reduced his own salary, and quietly used part of his inheritance to keep hundreds of employees working.
He never told Megan.
He believed protecting her from the details was an act of kindness.
Instead, his silence allowed resentment to grow.
That morning, as Daniel placed their bags in the car, Lauren stood in the doorway.
“Are you going to tell her about the audit?”
“After Thanksgiving.”
“You said that last week.”
“I don’t want to accuse anyone until I have proof.”
Lauren lowered her voice.
“You already have proof that money is missing.”
“We have irregular payments. That’s not the same thing.”
The irregular payments had been sent to a consulting company called Northway Strategies. Over eighteen months, Reed Residential had paid it nearly six hundred thousand dollars.
No one could explain what Northway had done.
The invoices had been approved through Megan’s department and connected to projects supervised by Chris.
Daniel had hired an independent auditor.
The final report was due Monday.
“Maybe waiting is a mistake,” Lauren said.
“Maybe. But today is Thanksgiving. Ethan has been looking forward to seeing his cousins.”
Their son appeared behind her carrying a paper turkey he had made at school.
“Can Cooper come?”
“He always comes,” Daniel said.
Ethan smiled.
As they drove toward Patricia’s house, Daniel watched bare trees pass beyond the window. He wanted to believe the day would be peaceful.
He wanted one dinner without business, resentment, or old accusations.
He did not know that Chris and Megan had spent the previous night discussing the audit.
May you like
He did not know that Chris had already learned what the auditors had found.
And he did not know that a small bottle was hidden inside Megan’s purse.
