Arthur closed his eyes.
Claire looked at him.
“Would you like me to sign it too, Arthur?”
The question opened a hole in the room.
Arthur tried to answer.
No sound came.
His glass trembled again.
Ryan stared at his father.
“What the hell is going on?”
Claire’s phone vibrated a third time.
This time, she answered.
“Yes, Henry,” she said.
Ryan gave a bitter laugh.
“So that’s it? You already have some man waiting for you?”
Claire did not look at him.
She listened to Henry confirm that the release could be completed within ten minutes.
Then she said, clearly enough for the entire dining room to hear, “Suspend the release until further notice.”
Nobody moved at first.
Madison blinked.
Eleanor rolled her eyes, as if Claire had performed one final little drama.
Ryan opened his mouth to make a joke.
Then Arthur’s phone rang.
A second later, Paige’s phone buzzed.
Then Ryan’s.
Then the chief financial officer of Blackwell Holdings called Arthur directly.
Arthur looked at the screen and lost all color.
The wineglass slipped from his hand and shattered on the marble floor, spilling red wine across white stone like an open wound.
“Dad?” Ryan asked.
Arthur did not answer him.
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