"Joseph, what is that supposed to mean?" Valerie's voice pitched higher. "Did you do this on purpose?"

Otis raised a hand, cutting them both off.

"Joseph, I'm going to give you one chance to explain yourself."

Seven years. In seven years, he had never once spoken to me in that tone.

It wasn't anger. It wasn't disappointment. It was the condescension of I'm giving you a chance. As if my standing here at all was some kind of gift he'd bestowed.

"There's nothing to explain. I threw it away."

"You—!"

Steve shot to his feet, eyes blazing like he wanted to tear me apart.

Otis told him to sit down.

Steve glanced at his father, then dropped back into his seat.

Otis turned to me, tapping the table twice more.

"Joseph, in all your years at Henson Group, I believe I've treated you more than fairly."

"I started you in admin and gave you opportunities, step by step. The marketing department, the product line, the new brand launch. Which one of those doors didn't I open for you?"

"The company is about to go public, and you've turned the most critical proposal into this. How do you expect the board to see you?"

Valerie sneered from the side. "How else would they see him? You can't polish a turd. We've given him chance after chance, and it's the same thing every time."

Steve jumped in. "Dad, he did it on purpose. He probably thinks the family's been unfair to him, so he's taking it out on the work."

"I've seen his type a hundred times. No talent, but plenty of pride. Can't deliver results, so he throws a tantrum instead."

The other Henson family members on the board sat off to the side, their expressions carefully neutral. Some scrolled through their phones. Others flipped through the documents in front of them. Nobody said a word.

Felicity hadn't spoken at all. Her face was blank, her teeth pressing into her lower lip.

Otis spoke again, every word landing like a hammer.

"Joseph, your attitude today is deeply disappointing."

"We'll set the proposal aside for now. You showed up over an hour late and made this entire room wait for you. What kind of behavior is that?"

"Do you have any respect left for discipline? For this company?"

Steve laughed. "Dad, give it a rest. He's still technically a Henson son-in-law, even if he's worth less than the family dog."

I cut him off.

"Enough."

"I'm not here to hand in some proposal."