Chapter 4 - The Call Before Midnight.
The reception never recovered.
The band resumed playing after fifteen uncomfortable minutes, but the dance floor remained half empty.
Guests gathered in small circles and spoke in voices too low to be called conversation and too focused to be called anything else.
Emily left the ballroom with the trust documents pressed against her chest.
Natalie followed her into a private dressing suite near the hotel garden.
Thomas remained behind with Gregory.
Emily locked the door.
Natalie stood in front of the mirror, still wearing her veil.
For a moment neither woman spoke.
The absurdity of the scene struck Emily all at once.
Three hours earlier she had been wondering whether Natalie liked peonies or roses.
Now they were hiding together from the groom while discussing a multimillion-dollar trust and a mysterious Calder Biotech file.
"Tell me what you saw," Emily said.
Natalie removed her tiara and placed it carefully on the vanity.
"A folder with Calder Biotech's logo," she said.
"Where?"
"In Gregory's home office."
"Why were you in his office?"
Natalie gave her a tired look.
"Because he asked me to find our venue insurance certificate."
She sat down.
"The Calder folder was under it."
Emily opened the trust document but could not focus on the lines.
"Did you read it?"
"Not all of it."
"What did you read?"
Natalie hesitated.
"A printed email from someone named Malcolm Reese."
Emily knew the name.
Everyone joining Calder Biotech's graduate program knew it.
Malcolm Reese was a senior board adviser and former executive vice president.
"What did it say?"
"Something about a hiring list."
Emily waited.
Natalie looked ashamed.
"Your name was highlighted."
A knock sounded at the door.
Both women froze.
"Emily," Gregory called from the hallway.
His voice was controlled again.
That was worse than when he shouted.
Emily did not answer.
"Open the door."
Natalie rose.
"Don't."
Gregory knocked once more.
"Thomas has explained the trust issue, and there has been a misunderstanding."
Emily looked at Natalie.
Neither woman believed him.
"We can settle this like adults," he continued.
Emily walked to the door but kept it locked.
"Did you contact Calder Biotech about me?"
Silence came from the hallway.
Emily's heartbeat accelerated.
"Dad?"
"Open the door."
"Answer me first."
Another silence.
Then Gregory's voice lowered.
"I made a few calls to protect you from making a mistake."
Emily gripped the handle.
"What mistake?"
"Taking a job you are not ready for simply to prove that you don't need your family."
Natalie's eyes widened.
Emily unlocked the door before Natalie could stop her.
Gregory stood in the hall with Thomas behind him.
"You called them," Emily said.
"I spoke to Malcolm."
"When?"
"Two weeks ago."
Emily felt the pieces line up.
Her final interview had been nearly six weeks ago.
The formal offer had arrived four weeks ago.
Gregory must have learned about it after seeing something he was not supposed to see.
"How did you know I had an offer?"
Gregory did not answer.
Emily thought of the mail that still occasionally went to his house because she had lived there during college breaks.
She thought of the company envelope she never received and the digital offer she had signed instead.
"You opened my mail."
"It came to my address."
"With my name on it."
"You are making this dramatic."
Emily almost smiled.
He had announced her finances to two hundred wedding guests and was accusing her of drama.
"What did you ask Malcolm to do?"
Gregory looked toward Natalie.
"This is not a conversation for her."
Natalie folded her arms.
"I'm staying."
Thomas looked down at the carpet.
Emily raised her voice just enough to force Gregory to answer.
"What did you ask him to do?"
Gregory exhaled sharply.
"I asked him to delay your start date until you had time to think."
Emily stared at him.
"You asked a board adviser to interfere with my job."
"I asked an old colleague for perspective."
"Did Malcolm agree?"
Gregory's eyes shifted.
That was the answer.
Emily pulled out her phone.
"Who are you calling?" Gregory asked.
"Calder Biotech."
"At ten thirty at night?"
"The graduate program coordinator gave us an emergency onboarding number."
Gregory stepped forward.
"Emily, don't be foolish."
She stepped back.
"You lost the right to call this foolish."
She found the number and pressed it.
The call rang twice.
A woman answered.
"Calder Biotech employee support, this is Maya."
Emily identified herself and explained that she was scheduled to begin Monday.
"I need to confirm that my start date is still active," she said.
Keyboard clicks came through the phone.
Gregory watched her with an expression she could not read.
Then the woman on the line became quiet.
"Ms. Carter," Maya said, "there is a note on your file."
Emily's stomach dropped.
"What kind of note?"
"Your onboarding has been placed under executive review."
Gregory closed his eyes for half a second.
Emily stared at him.
"By who?"
Maya hesitated.
"The request was submitted this afternoon."
Emily's fingers tightened around the phone.
"This afternoon?"
"Yes."
Natalie looked at Gregory.
Emily did too.
The wedding ceremony had started at four.
Gregory had been with photographers, guests, and family all afternoon.
If he had not submitted the request himself, someone else had.
May you like
Maya spoke again.
"The name attached to the request is Malcolm Reese."
