The older employee exhaled a long trail of smoke, the ash of his cigarette falling down without him noticing. He shook his head slowly. "Poor kid though. Imagine losing your parents like that, and then getting betrayed by the people you trusted most. No wonder he cracked."
"Yeah," the younger one snorted, flicking ash to the ground. "Cracked and sold everything. Heard he got played hard. Relatives swooped in, pretended to help, then took over cushy positions once the dust settled. Must've felt like a knife in the back."
The older one's laugh was bitter. " People who hadn't touched the business in years… they all crawled out of the woodwork and claimed seats. In these situations, family's the first knife in your back. Outsiders don't even need to try when your own blood wants you gone."
Another voice cut in, lower, conspiratorial.
