“Mom…”
That single word sounded different now.
Smaller somehow.
Like the confident groom standing at the altar had suddenly become a nervous little boy again.
“I need to explain something.”
The stranger beside me smiled faintly.
“Oh, I think that explanation is long overdue.”
Claire frowned. “Andrew, who is this?”
Silence.
Then my son answered:
“This is Charles Whitmore.”
Several nearby guests visibly reacted.
Even I recognized the name.
Charles Whitmore.
Founder of Whitmore Global Holdings.
One of the wealthiest investors in the state.
The man whose business empire owned hotels, commercial real estate, and half the development projects in Aspen Grove.
I looked back at the stranger beside me in shock.
He noticed.
“Good afternoon, Judith,” he said politely. “Sorry for the dramatic introduction.”
Andrew looked physically uncomfortable now.
Claire blinked repeatedly between us.
“Wait,” she said slowly. “Why is HE sitting back here?”
That question changed everything.
Because Charles looked directly at her.
And smiled.
Not warmly.
