Chapter 60
Chapter 60
Benedict and Sarah had put their day-to-day work on hold for the time being, caught up in the whirlwind of wedding preparations.
With Justin managing the corporation, neither of them had anything to worry about. Times had changed; it was a new generation’s world now. Their outlook was different, and maybe-just maybe-they’d do an even better job than their predecessors.
Handing the company over to Justin had turned out to be the best decision they could’ve made.
Of course, Benedict still liked to keep an eye on things at headquarters.
“I heard from Latonia that you went to sign a contract at the office first thing this morning,” he asked. “Which project was it?”
Justin sat in the living room, a little distracted.
Last night, right on this same couch, Edith had curled up into his arms, barreling in like a startled fawn. The memory still made him nervous,
even now.
Benedict waited for a response, but when Justin stayed silent, he frowned and looked over at his son. “Is something bothering you at work?”
But Sarah saw right through him. “It’s not work. Our son’s mind is clearly
somewhere else.”
Snapped out of his thoughts, Justin finally answered Benedict’s question. “The downtown development.”
Benedict might not be involved in the company’s daily decisions anymore, but he was still up to speed on the major quarterly projects.
“Wasn’t that project already discussed? Wasn’t it supposed to go to Pioneer Prime?”
Pioneer Prime-owned by the Vance family.
Latonia brought over a cup of tea. “It’s humid after the rain, sir. This blend
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should help.”
Justin accepted it, and the gentle swirl of steam seemed to soften his gaze. He spoke lightly, almost offhand, “That was the plan, but we found a company that’s a much better fit. I signed the contract this morning.”
Benedict looked startled, unable to make sense of it.
How could you figure out if a company was suitable so quickly? And even if you could, wasn’t rushing to sign the contract a bit much?
Sarah, on the other hand, saw it all clearly.
Benedict, ever the old-school straight-shooter, never looked beneath the surface. He missed the undercurrents completely.
But Sarah had done her homework. The housekeeper mentioned there’d been a visitor last night-someone Justin hadn’t even let inside. Instead,
he’d met them at the door.
Justin had always been impeccably polite. So who would he refuse to let
in?
It wasn’t hard to guess. And with Pioneer Prime suddenly dropped, it was obvious: someone from the Vance family had come by and upset him.
Sarah took the cup Latonia offered and smiled. Her son was always so reserved, but today he’d finally shown a bit of fire. “Latonia, make sure Justin gets more calming herbal tea these days. He seems a little on edge lately.”
Benedict, oblivious, nodded along. “That’s normal-grooms always get high-strung before the wedding. But being too stressed isn’t healthy.”
Sarah rolled her eyes at him. After all these years of talking past each other, she found his old-fashioned ways almost endearing.
Meanwhile, Edith was dropped off at her family’s house by the Hawksleys’ driver.
She hurried inside, anxiously searching for her mother.
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Only when she saw Jayne safe and sound did she finally relax. Grabbing her mother’s hand, she blurted out, “Mom, you scared me half to death. I was so worried someone from the Vance family might hurt you. Did you sleep okay last night?”
Jayne smiled gently, squeezing Edith’s hand in return.
Now that she knew the ugly truth about the Vance family, Jayne’s heart ached even more for her daughter.
Silly girl, how could you bear so much hardship all by yourself?
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Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.