Too sharply.
Too desperately.
And suddenly everyone knew something terrible was coming.
I took a slow breath.
Then I revealed the truth.
Thirty years earlier, Rebecca Montgomery had stolen an inheritance worth nearly two hundred million dollars.
Gasps erupted across the ballroom.
Vanessa dropped the invitation.
Ryan stared at his mother.
“What?”
Rebecca shook her head violently.
“She’s lying.”
“No.”
A new voice echoed through the room.
Every head turned.
The ballroom doors opened again.
Alexander Whitmore entered.
At eighty years old, he still carried the presence of a king.
Beside him walked three attorneys.
And two federal investigators.
The room froze.
Alexander approached me.
Then kissed my forehead.
“My dear.”
“Hello, Alexander.”
He smiled warmly.
Then turned toward the crowd.
“Mariana is not lying.”
The investigators stepped forward.
Alexander continued.
“Her mother was the sole heir to the Whitmore family trust.”
Ryan looked confused.
“Whitmore family?”
Alexander nodded.