"Because the man trying to ruin me is your father, and you deserve to face him just as much as I do."
Silence filled the space between them. Cali knew he was right: Richard Palmer had abandoned her when she needed him most, and now he was back, pulling strings like everyone's life was a game.
She sighed, defeated. "I'm going to regret this."
"Probably," Henry said, smiling for the first time.
Cali took off her apron and shouted to George in the kitchen: "George, I need a few days off."
"How many days?" he shouted back.
"I don't know. Maybe forever if this goes badly."
George appeared in the doorway, confused, but shrugged. "All right, girl. Good luck with whatever this is."
Cali grabbed her bag and followed Henry to the car. The drive back to New York was tense at first, but little by little, they started talking: about the company, about Richard Palmer, about what they were going to do once they got there.
"So, what's the plan?" Cali asked, biting into a chocolate bar she'd bought at a gas station.
"I need to convince the other investors not to vote against me, to show that Richard's doing this for personal reasons, not business ones."
"And how are you going to prove that?"
Henry hesitated. "I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out."
Cali rolled her eyes. "Great. So we basically have no plan at all."
"Do you have a better idea?"
"Not yet. But I'll come up with something. After all, you're not exactly a strategy genius."
Henry laughed, and for the first time in days, he felt like maybe all wasn't lost.
They arrived in New York just before midnight. Henry took Cali to a quiet hotel before heading home. The next morning at 7:00 sharp, he knocked on her door.
"Ready?" he asked when she opened, still in her pajamas.
"Henry, it's 7:00 in the morning. The meeting's at 9:00."
"I know. But we need to stop by the office first. I have documents that might help."
Cali sighed and shut the door in his face. "Give me 20 minutes."
30 minutes later, she stepped out wearing jeans and a plain blouse. Henry looked at her, a little unsure. "You're going like that?"
Cali frowned. "What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing. It's just... this is an investor meeting. People usually dress more formal."
"Henry, I'm an unemployed waitress. This is my formal outfit."
He opened his mouth to reply, then ended up laughing. "Fair enough. Let's go."
At the office, Henry rummaged through files while Cali sat in a chair, eating a donut she'd grabbed from the reception area. "You really think there's something here that can help?" she asked with her mouth full.
"There has to be. Richard's not perfect. He must have left something behind."
Cali stood up and started going through the folders, too. And then she saw something: an old envelope with Richard Palmer written by hand. "Henry, what's this?"
He took the envelope and opened it. Inside was a letter dated 3 years ago—a letter from Richard offering money for Henry to sign a shady contract. Henry had refused back then, but the letter was proof that Richard had been trying to manipulate him for a long time.
"Will this work?" Cali asked, hopefully.
"It will," Henry confirmed with a smile. "It's perfect."
The meeting was held in a luxurious room at the top of the building. When Henry and Cali walked in, all eyes turned to them. Richard Palmer sat at the head of the table, flawless, with a confident smile on his face.
"Henry," he greeted, his voice full of fake warmth. "I didn't think you'd come."
"I wouldn't miss this for anything," Henry replied, taking his seat.
Cali stood beside him, uneasy under all those stares.
Richard noticed her and frowned. "And who's this young lady?"
Cali took a deep breath and stepped forward. "I'm Cali Brooks, your daughter."
The silence that followed was absolute. Richard turned pale, his eyes wide. The other investors looked at each other, confused.
"My daughter?" Richard repeated, his voice trembling.
"Yes, the daughter you walked away from 15 years ago. Remember me? Or did you forget you had a family before becoming this important man?"
Richard tried to collect himself. "Cali, this isn't the time or place for this."
"Oh, it's not?" she shot back, arms crossed. "Then when would be? When you're ruining someone else's life? Like right now?"
One of the investors, an older man named William, cleared his throat. "Mr. Palmer, what's going on here?"
Richard cleared his throat. "This is personal. It has nothing to do with business."
"Yes, it does," Henry interrupted, standing up. "Because his reason for wanting me out of the company has nothing to do with business. It's personal revenge."
"That's ridiculous!" Richard snapped.