Chapter 6 - The First Domino
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My father pulled his phone out, glaring at the caller ID with annoyance.
“It’s the commercial bank manager,” Dad muttered to my mother. “Why the hell is Arthur calling me at nine o'clock on a Saturday night?”
He pressed the phone to his ear, his tone loud and boisterous. “Arthur! What’s going on, buddy? I’m in the middle of my daughter’s wedding reception!”
As he listened to the voice on the other end, the boisterous smile on my father's face froze. Then, slowly, every drop of color drained from his skin.
“What do you mean, suspended?” Dad stammered, his voice dropping an octave, losing all its previous grandiosity. “No, no, that’s a mistake! We have an active draw scheduled for Monday morning to cover our payroll!”
Mom grabbed his forearm, her eyes wide with sudden panic. “Richard? What is it? What’s wrong?”
Dad ignored her, his eyes darting frantically toward me before turning back to the corner of the room. “Arthur, listen to me! There’s been a misunderstanding! I am the principal owner of Mercer Construction!”
He paused, listening to the bank officer’s cold reply.
“A guarantee withdrawal?” Dad whispered, his voice cracking. “She can’t just withdraw her guarantee!”
Beside him, Madison frowned, looking between our parents. “Dad? What is he talking about? Is everything okay?”
Before Dad could respond, Trevor’s phone chimed in his pocket with an urgent ringtone.
Trevor pulled out his device, glancing at the screen. “It’s my primary restaurant investor.” He answered quickly, walking a few steps away. “Hey, Marcus! Yeah, we’re just wrapping up the toasts—”
Trevor stopped mid-sentence. His eyes went wide, his mouth agape.
“Wait... what?” Trevor choked out. “Pulled the funding? Why would you pull the funding today? We were supposed to sign the lease contract on Tuesday!”
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The surrounding ballroom, which had been buzzing with loud music and laughter, suddenly felt eerily quiet around our small group.
Thirty minutes after my father handed away my seventy-eight-thousand-dollar car, every single financial lie holding their fragile world together had begun to implode.
