Chapter 1

My nephew, Jasper Bevan, let out a cold snort and said to me, "Every year, Uncle Toby, the minute payout time rolls around, you show up with two bottles of booze. Did anybody even invite you?

"What, is your family so broke you can't put food on the table? Is my dad's payout the only thing keeping you fed?

"Dad's put up with you long enough. Every time you come here to eat and drink for free, he greets you with a smile. I've been sick of it for ages."

I looked up at my brother, Dennis Bevan, waiting for him to say something.

But he avoided my eyes and hung his head. It was a long time before he finally spoke. "Toby, the plant's really taken off these past few years. We aren't short on customers anymore. Even without your referrals, they'd still choose me."

In other words, he thought the clients chose him on his own merits. It had nothing to do with me, and I shouldn't be taking a cut anymore.

I almost laughed. Ten years ago, when he'd first opened the plant, he didn't have a single customer.

He'd come to me in tears, begging. I worked in trade, he said, and I was the top salesman with connections everywhere. Couldn't I throw a few leads his way?

He told me Jasper was about to start school and they were still way short on tuition. He'd already paid the price for his own lack of education, and he couldn't let Jasper go through the same thing.

Back then, other companies were offering me a fifteen percent commission. But I figured Jasper needed a good education if he was going to make something of himself one day.

So even though it meant taking five percent less, I gave the project to my brother.

The day the payment cleared, he showed up with a bag full of cash and dropped to his knees in front of me. He said I'd saved his life, and that as long as he had food on his table, I'd always have a share of it.

"That's not what you said back then!" I told him coldly.

Dennis rubbed his nose, and a flicker of guilt seemed to pass through his eyes. "How about... I give it to you this time. But this can't go on forever, so next time..."

"Dad!" Jasper snapped. "Don't go soft on him! Do you know how much of our money he's pocketed for nothing all these years? He talks like the plant only gets orders because of him!

"Are we short on customers? Are we short on orders? We've got tons of clients. Tons of people are dying to work with us!"

Sure, there were people who wanted to work with them. But those were chronic deadbeats, the kind local distributors refused to deal with. That was the only reason they'd come knocking. They saw the plant as easy pickings.

There wasn't a single quality client in the bunch, and certainly no one like Vince Dorme, who always paid on time.

Even the decent ones would drag out payments for a year or two.

I turned to my second sister, Lucy Bevan. The clients at her garment factory had come through me too.

Lucy kept her head down, deliberately avoiding my eyes. "Sure, back when we didn't have any orders, we relied on you. But we've been handing you money for nothing all these years. You've made plenty off us, haven't you?

"Truth is, I'm not short on clients anymore. Loads of big influencers want to partner with me and sell my stuff. I don't need offline buyers. I can sell everything straight online."

His face stony, Jasper pulled out a calculator. "Over the years, you've taken more than 1.45 million dollars from my family. I'll knock off the change and call it an even 1.4 million dollars. How are you paying?"

"Jasper!" Dennis tugged at his sleeve.

Jasper ignored him and stared me down.

"Why aren't you moving? Can't cough up the money? Don't want to part with it? Or are you just so used to taking advantage of my family that you never thought I'd ask for it back?"