"But my father is the head of this family. He's the chairman. He has his reasons. You... try not to take it too personally."
I told her I understood.
"Good." She let out a breath, a note of relief slipping into her voice. "I'm glad you see it that way. So just pull an all-nighter tonight, push through, and have the plan ready by tomorrow no matter what."
The line went dead.
I set the phone on the passenger seat and stared through the windshield.
I thought about what was in that business plan.
A three-year roadmap. Transitioning from traditional manufacturing to smart manufacturing. Two new automated production lines. Building a proprietary e-commerce platform. Expanding into overseas markets.
Every item had detailed timelines, budget projections, and risk assessments.
I'd spent two weeks on it.
Run the numbers more times than I could count. Revised the proposal through draft after draft.
Today was supposed to be the day I presented it. But before I could open my mouth, Otis had told all non-essential personnel to leave the room.
Non-essential personnel.
He was the chairman at the company. He was the head of the household at home.
If he said you were non-essential, then you were non-essential.