The Wedding Dress Fitting

Chapter 4 Debts Must Be Paid

Julian leaned back in his chair. “So you came to your senses.”

He pointed to the guest chair across from him.

“Sit down. Once you apologize to Mia, we can put this tantrum behind us. The suit is a nice touch, by the way.”

I remained standing and pushed the folder within his reach.

“I'm here about your debt.”

His hand stopped above the cover. “What debt?”

“The thirty-million-dollar credit line held by Sterling Capital. At 9:15 this morning, the Thorne Group breached three covenants. I'm the lead representative on the portfolio, and the full balance is due.”

He opened the folder and read the first page twice.

“You have seventy-two hours to produce the funds. After that, Sterling begins asset liquidation. Your intellectual property comes first.”

He looked up. “You work for Sterling?”

“I'm a partner.”

The office door opened, and Mia entered with one cup of tea on a porcelain tray.

“Julian, darling, I thought you might need this.” She saw me and stopped. “Clara, please don't do this. Blame me. I'm the one who upset you. Julian had nothing to do with the dress.”

She had reduced thirty million dollars and three breached covenants to another argument in the closet.

I pressed the intercom on Julian's desk.

“Security, there is an unauthorized person in a confidential financial meeting. Remove her, please.”

Julian pushed back his chair. “Clara, you can't do that.”

Two guards appeared at the door. One addressed Mia while the other held the door open.

“Ma'am, you need to come with us.”

“Julian?” She put the tray down and reached for him. Tea ran over the rim and onto the desk. “Tell them I can stay.”

He looked at the demand notice in his hand. Mia kept waiting for him to intervene, but the paper held his attention. By the time he spoke, the guards had led her into the corridor.

The door closed on her sobbing.

Julian's phone began vibrating beside the spilled tea. Grace Vance's name filled the screen.

“Mom?”

Her shouting carried across the desk.

“The bank is taking everything. The house, the cars, all of it. They said the collateral was withdrawn. Liam's accounts are frozen. Julian, what's happening? We're ruined!”

The phone slipped from his hand. Grace kept shouting through the speaker while tea spread toward the unsigned documents. Julian caught the folder before it got wet and held it against his chest.

I checked my watch. My lunch meeting started at one.

“Seventy-two hours, Julian.”

I left him with the folder and the ringing phone.