The chair sat empty behind the giant mahogany desk, the scent of expensive cologne and coffee lingering in the air. She wasn’t supposed to be in here, but something made her stop. The folder was still there. She moved closer. Her eyes landed on the title, Declaration of Corporate Bankruptcy, filed under the name Richard Vaughn. Vaughn Development Group.

Maya’s heart skipped. She glanced at the numbers printed in bold on the first page. Total outstanding debt, $64 million. That couldn’t be right. Her brow furrowed. She began scanning the list of creditors, companies, vendors, lenders. Some names were unfamiliar, but one stopped her cold. Continental Supply Partners. Her breath caught.

The letters blurred as memories came flooding back. That name, she knew that name. It was the same company that ruined her father years ago. They had supplied faulty construction materials to his small contracting business, lied about quality, overbuild, disappeared after payment. Her father filed a complaint. No one listened.