Chapter 7 - The Choice
After Claire placed the engagement ring beside Daniel’s plate, he followed her into the marble foyer.
“Claire, please.”
She kept walking.
He caught up near the front doors.
“My mother was upset.”
Claire stopped.
“She put her hands on me.”
“I know.”
“And you watched.”
His face twisted.
“I froze.”
“You always freeze.”
“That’s not fair.”
Claire turned toward him.
“I defended you when my command questioned your company’s contracts.”
Daniel’s eyes widened.
“What contracts?”
Claire studied his face.
The surprise looked real.
At least part of it.
“Harper Meridian is under federal investigation.”
Daniel stepped backward.
“That’s impossible.”
“Then why did your mother know I had a letter?”
He looked toward the dining room.
Judith stood beneath the chandelier, watching them.
Her face had gone pale.
Daniel whispered, “What did she do?”
Claire answered carefully.
“That is what investigators are trying to determine.”
He reached for her hand.
She stepped away.
“Help me understand.”
May you like
“No, Daniel. For once, you need to decide what you are willing to understand without me doing it for you.”
👉 Daniel had lost Claire’s trust—but what he found in his mother’s office that night would destroy the last excuse he had left.
