The Family's Biggest Mistake

The money hadn't been stolen. It was way worse than that because no one in the entire company could use a single dollar.

Five billion dollars in client assets were locked in clearing accounts. The phones wouldn't stop ringing as banks, investment firms, and federal regulators scrambled for answers.

My father, Richard Langford, sat in the conference room, staring at an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts. My cousin, Ryan Langford, was glued to the server status reports, his face growing paler by the minute.