Chapter 6 - The Unraveling
When Skyler and I walked back into the dining room, the atmosphere was thick with tension. My mother was standing near the head of the table, pacing back and forth, while my father sat with his arms crossed, staring sternly at the un-signed contract. Harlan Voss stood near the doorway, looking tense, his phone clutched tightly in his hand.
“Finally,” Mom snapped, throwing her hands up in the air. “Wendy, sit down and pick up the pen. We’ve delayed dessert for forty minutes because of this nonsense.”
I walked to the head of the table, standing opposite my father. I didn't sit down. I looked around the room at my aunts, my uncles, my mother’s wealthy friends, and finally at my sister, who stood hovering near the doorway, looking caught between confusion and dread.
“Skyler,” I said, keeping my voice calm and clear, ensuring every guest in the room could hear me. “Has anyone on Larkfield’s executive committee shown you the company’s full aging accounts payable report for Q3?”
Mom slammed her hand down on the sideboard. “Wendy! What does that have to do with your job offer? Stop trying to deflect!”
“Answer her, Skyler,” I said quietly, keeping my eyes on my sister.
Skyler shifted her weight, looking uncomfortable. “I... I haven't taken over the full financial audit yet. That happens next week. But the chairman assured me—”
“Larkfield has four point two million dollars in overdue freight invoices,” I stated plainly. “They missed their shipping volume targets in June, September, and October. Their previous CEO didn't resign to pursue other opportunities; he was paid six million dollars to walk away before the public quarterly earnings report revealed that the company is defaulting on its primary supply lines.”
The room went completely still. My uncle lowered his wine glass. One of my mother’s friends frowned, looking over at Harlan Voss.
“Wendy, shut your mouth this instant!” Mom shouted, her face flushing bright red with outrage. “You run a failing flower shop! You know nothing about corporate finance! How dare you invent these sick lies to ruin your sister’s celebration!”
Skyler looked at Harlan Voss. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Harlan... is that true? Are the freight accounts overdue?”
Voss’s face was an unreadable mask of corporate ice. “Ms. Hayes, your sister is making wildly unprofessional assertions about matters she couldn't possibly understand. I suggest we conclude this family gathering.”
“Why does Wendy know our accounts, Harlan?” Skyler demanded, her voice rising, a sudden sharp edge breaking through her panic. She took three steps toward the table. “How does she know about the Q3 shipping defaults?”
I pulled my personal phone from my pocket, unlocked the screen, and tapped a secure application. I set the phone face-up on the white tablecloth right next to the assistant contract. On the screen was the live executive dashboard for Ashford Freight, displaying our top fifty corporate accounts, their credit status, and the majority ownership share register.
“Because Ashford Freight owns the trucks that transport Larkfield’s goods,” I said quietly. “I founded Ashford Freight ten years ago. I own seventy-four percent of the company. And as of four o’clock this afternoon, I authorized our legal team to hold off on issuing Larkfield a formal notice of default.”
My mother let out a sharp, incredulous laugh, shaking her head. “Oh, Wendy. This is pathetic. A freight company? You’re lying to save face because you’re ashamed to take the job.” She turned to Harlan Voss, offering a strained, apologetic smile. “Harlan, please forgive her. She’s always had an overactive imagination when she feels threatened.”
Mom looked at Voss, expecting him to laugh along, expecting him to dismiss me as a desperate failure.
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Harlan Voss did not laugh. He swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the phone on the table, then looked up at my mother with an expression of cold, grim reality.
“It’s true, Mrs. Hayes,” Voss said quietly, his voice cutting through the silent room like a blade. “Your daughter is the majority owner of Ashford Freight.”
