.
"I'm implying, Father, that this household has been poorly managed for years. Since Mother died, actually. The finances are in terrible condition, business partnerships have deteriorated, and our reputation in the merchant community has suffered."
He pulled out a folded document from his robe—a summary of the financial analysis he and Heena had completed.
"Would you like to know exactly how bad things are? Or would you prefer to keep pretending everything is fine while the family business collapses around you?"
The old Master's face went from red to pale. "How dare you—"
"I dare because someone needs to," Samuel said, his voice hard now. "In the past three years alone, household expenses have tripled while business income has declined by forty percent. We have outstanding loans totaling over 50,000 silver, with major payments due in six months that we currently have no way to cover."
He set the document on the desk.
