Chapter 2 – The Family Empire Begins to Crack
Patricia refused to leave.
Instead, she demanded every guest remain seated.
"This wedding is still happening," she declared.
"No outsider is destroying my family."
The room grew uncomfortable.
Then the venue manager quietly spoke.
"There is one more matter."
He opened another folder.
"Mrs. Mason also acquired Whitlock Hospitality Holdings yesterday afternoon."
Andrew frowned.
"What?"
The manager turned the document toward him.
"The Whitlock family used this estate as collateral for several outstanding loans."
"When the company defaulted..."
"The ownership transferred."
Andrew's face turned pale.
"My father never told me."
"He couldn't," Clara answered.
"He signed the agreement six months ago."
Patricia's breathing became uneven.
"You planned this?"
Clara shook her head.
"No."
"I simply accepted the offer after your bank declined to."
Gasps spread across the ballroom.
The family everyone admired...
Had been financially collapsing for months.
Only Patricia didn't know.
Andrew slowly looked toward his mother.
"For the first time in my life..."
"What else have you hidden from me?"
Patricia couldn't answer.
Because someone else had already entered the ballroom.
An elderly gentleman carrying a walking cane.
Andrew's grandfather.
May you like
The founder of the Whitlock family fortune.
And the expression on his face made everyone nervous.
