Mom saw everything, and it broke her heart.That night, she held me tightly in her arms again, her tears soaking through the shoulder of my shirt."My sweet Nathaniel, why won't you speak to me?" she whispered. "If you could just say one word, just a single word, I could die happy."I could feel her body trembling.It was the heavy despair of a mother who felt entirely helpless.My heart, after all, wasn't made of stone. For the first time, my resolve began to fracture. Perhaps it was finally time for me to speak.But just as I parted my lips, preparing to enunciate a long-unused syllable, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed outside the study door.Malcolm Prescott, our butler, practically burst into the room."Mrs. Wentworth, we have a massive problem!" he said. "The delegation from Ashbury has arrived. The Broadwell Street hedge-fund tycoon, Winston Pembroke, is already at the office!"Mom's face instantly drained of color.Winston Pembroke.That name was a dark, suffoca
Read more