Chapter 6 - The Birthday Room
Thomas asked the relatives to leave.
He did not want Nolan’s birthday turned into a public trial. He thanked each guest calmly and told them the family would speak privately.
Within minutes, only Thomas, Nicole, Nolan, Alistair, and Mason remained in the living room.
The tablet sat unopened near the armchair.
The chocolate cake still rested in Nolan’s lap.
Thomas knelt beside the sofa.
“May I see your candles?”
Nolan nodded.
Thomas counted each one slowly.
“One for every year you’ve made this family better.”
Nolan looked down.
“Dad says I ask for too much.”
Thomas glanced at Alistair, but kept his voice gentle.
“What did you ask for?”
“Dinner.”
“Anything else?”
“I wanted Dad to stay.”
Thomas’s expression tightened.
“That was not too much.”
Alistair crossed his arms.
“Are we going to discuss a child’s feelings all evening, or are you going to explain that envelope?”
Nicole stood.
“We will discuss Nolan first.”
Alistair turned toward her.
“You’ve already filled my father’s head with your version of events.”
“My version is documented.”
She took the folder from a drawer beneath the side table.
Alistair’s face changed.
“What is that?”
“A record.”
“Of what?”
“Every financial decision you made without consent. Every conversation you later denied. Nolan’s school notes. Medical guidance. Account statements.”
Thomas accepted the folder but did not open it immediately.
“Nicole told me there was an incident.”
Alistair shook his head.
“She is making it sound worse than it was.”
“Nolan was frightened,” Nicole said.
“Children become frightened when adults establish boundaries.”
“That was not a boundary.”
Alistair looked at Thomas.
“You know how children exaggerate.”
Nolan’s shoulders tightened.
Thomas noticed immediately.
“Stop,” he said.
The single word ended the argument.
“You will not ask Nolan to defend himself in this room. You will not make him responsible for proving what an adult did.”
Alistair’s jaw tightened.
“You always take everyone else’s side.”
“This is not about sides. It is about responsibility.”
Thomas turned to Nicole.
“Do you and Nolan have somewhere safe to stay tonight?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t need to leave.”
Alistair laughed sharply.
“You think you can remove me from my own home?”
Thomas finally held up the sealed envelope.
“This contains notice that your employment as acting president is terminated for cause, your access to all trust assets is revoked, and your occupancy agreement for this residence is under immediate review.”
Alistair stared at him.
“You can’t terminate me without a board vote.”
“The board voted remotely while I was on the plane.”
“You arranged that behind my back?”
“I responded to evidence you concealed behind mine.”
“This company is my future.”
“It was your opportunity.”
Thomas placed the envelope on the table.
“You treated it like an inheritance you had already received.”
Alistair looked toward the open doorway, perhaps expecting someone to enter and tell him this was a misunderstanding.
No one came.
Thomas continued.
“The accounts were frozen an hour ago. The company vehicle remains company property. Your authority over the family trust ended at four seventeen this afternoon.”
Alistair’s face lost its color.
“What about my personal accounts?”
“Your legitimate personal assets remain yours. I am not stealing from you.”
“Then what do you mean by losing everything?”
May you like
Thomas looked at Nolan.
“Everything you used to make other people feel powerless.”
