Chapter 2: The Audit on the Sand
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the steady crash of surf against the shore.
Robert looked down at his bare feet, his fingers twitching against the seam of his shorts. ""Mom, you were supposed to be in London for the corporate design summit until August. I just wanted to host a few friends before the semester started.""
""A few friends?"" Victoria asked, gesturing to the professional sound system wired into the cedar rafters and the commercial kegs of beer leaking condensation onto the heart-pine floorboards. ""You hired a private catering syndicate using my regional account without authorization, Robert. You charged nine thousand dollars to the Vance Family Foundation credit line.""
Chloe scoffed, stepping closer to Robert and placing a manicured hand on his forearm. ""Mrs. Vance, Robert is a junior vice president at Vance Enterprises. He’s entitled to host his peers! My father is a managing partner at the Atlantic Coast Equity Fund. We are talking about critical networking opportunities for his career!""
Victoria looked at Chloe with a look of cool, detached pity.
""Robert is not a junior vice president, Miss Hayes,"" Victoria said, her voice dropping into a register of devastating clarity. ""Robert is a third-year undergraduate student on academic probation who was suspended from his summer corporate internship three weeks ago for falsifying attendance records.""
Chloe’s hand dropped from Robert’s arm as if he were on fire. She turned to him, her eyes widening in disbelief. ""You told my parents you were managing the offshore portfolio!""
Robert looked around the room, finding no escape. His friends were already setting down their drinks, whispering among themselves, and quietly slipping toward the sliding glass doors to grab their bags.
""Everyone has thirty minutes to vacate the property,"" Victoria announced, addressing the room without looking at them. ""Leave your cups in the trash bins on your way out. If there is a single vehicle remaining on the access road by two o'clock, the Dare County Sheriff’s Department will impound it.""
May you like
She turned her rolling suitcase toward the master suite, her footsteps rhythmic and steady, leaving Robert standing alone in the middle of his ruined stage.
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