Carlton

Dad sat behind the desk at his office for the first time in months. Just seeing him in that chair relaxed my heart a little, because some of this responsibility was off my shoulders. I’d done quite a bit of work up to now, and honestly, I was exhausted. Dad wasn’t ready to come back yet, not fully, but soon. At least he could help me out for now.

Today wasn’t the best day to show just how weary I was, though. As soon as the door opened, I straightened up in my chair, even though I hadn’t relaxed since we walked into the office. I looked up to see Alec walking inside.

“Alec,” Dad said. “Please, come in and sit down.”

He didn’t sound nearly as impressed as he did the last time all three of us met together.

Alec arched an eyebrow at seeing me there. I’d been out for the past three days finalizing things. A lot of the deals Alec took part in actually happened outside of the company, which was why it was hard to keep track of all of them. I’d managed to compile enough evidence, though, and