Chapter 7 - The Engagement Dinner
Sloane arrived smiling at an emergency board meeting. She proposed selling a riverside property, claiming the proceeds would fund three years of Harbor Light services.
Daniel recognized the property address from Asha’s search. It was the warehouse beside the river.
Her slides praised efficiency and sustainability. She never mentioned Brightwater and called the sale “the next chapter of Julia’s legacy.” Several trustees nodded.
When she finished, Daniel asked for the full valuation, the competing bids, and a list of every consultant who had advised on the deal.
Sloane’s smile tightened. “Those documents are being finalized.”
“Then we shouldn’t vote today.”
A trustee named Martin Keene frowned. “Daniel, this has been in development for months.”
“Then another week won’t hurt.”
Sloane turned to him. “You’re making this personal.”
“It became personal when my son was told I had signed papers to send him away.”
A hush spread around the table. Sloane’s eyes flashed, then she laughed softly as if Daniel had made an embarrassing joke.
“This is a private family disagreement. It has no place here.”
“Neither does a two-million-dollar vendor relationship that no one can explain.”
That got their attention.
Sloane stood. “You have no evidence of wrongdoing.”
“I have enough questions to delay a vote.”
The meeting ended without a decision. In the elevator, Sloane leaned close enough that only Daniel could hear her.
“You have no idea what Julia was like when she was sick,” she whispered. “You weren’t there for every hour. I was. I know what she left behind, and I know what she wanted.”
“You didn’t know what she wanted better than I did.”
“No?” Sloane’s smile returned. “Then why did she hide the key from you?”
Daniel felt his blood turn to ice. He had not told her about the key. He had not told anyone about the notebook.
“How do you know about the key?”
Sloane stepped out as the elevator doors opened. “Ask your son what else he’s hiding.”
That evening, she hosted the engagement dinner she had planned for weeks. Guests filled the dining room beneath soft lights. Oliver sat beside Rosa at the far end of the table, silent and pale. Daniel watched Sloane raise a glass and announce that the wedding would take place in ten days.
Then she turned toward Oliver.
May you like
“And after the wedding,” she said brightly, “we’ll help you start fresh somewhere peaceful.”
Oliver dropped his fork.
