The lawyer began by stating dates.
The study looked the same as it always did when the family wanted control to be noticed. Evelyn sat behind the wide desk, facing the tall windows that looked out over the east lawn. Yosef stood near the glass, hands behind his back, positioned so he could see both the grounds and Arianne without turning his head. The lawyer sat across from Arianne, a table between them.
He placed a folder on it.
It was thicker than the one Arianne had declined to open earlier. The tab was labeled with a year: twenty-two years ago.
She did not reach for it. She kept her hands resting lightly on her knees and waited.
"Emergency governance review," the lawyer said. His voice did not rise. "Summers Corporation. Triggered by an anonymous submission to two board members and a concurrent regulatory inquiry."
He spoke while looking down at the cover, not at her.
Evelyn did look at her.
"You were thirteen," Evelyn said.
It was not a question.
