Martin glanced sharply at him.
That was when I noticed something important.
Daniel was afraid of Martin.
Not merely worried.
Afraid.
Emma saw it too.
“Mom,” she said softly, “this is bigger than we thought.”
Martin’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He silenced it, but seconds later it buzzed again. He stepped aside and answered in a low voice. We could not hear every word, but we heard enough.
“No,” he said quickly. “The funds are under review. Yes, I know. I’m handling it.”
When he turned back toward us, the polished calm was gone.
“Mrs. Thompson,” he said, “this situation has become sensitive. I advise that we settle this privately.”
“Settle what privately?” Emma asked.
Martin looked directly at me.
“If the investigation continues, creditors may pursue aggressive recovery, including civil claims and possibly criminal referrals.”
Criminal referrals.
The phrase made my skin crawl.
Emma stepped toward him.
“You mean against Daniel?”
Martin did not answer directly. He glanced at Daniel instead, and in that glance I saw it clearly.
Daniel was not in control.
Martin was.
