AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My heart sank into my stomach. Did they hear the same thing I did? If they did, they seemed unfazed by it. Of course they were, they were never as close to Dad as I was. They didn’t believe him the way I did.
“Nothing,” I muttered, continuing up the stairs.
I needed to find proof, and I needed to find it fast.
I had to clear my father’s name and bring my family back together before it was too late.
15
Aiden
As soon as I stepped into the dining room, I knew there was going to be trouble.
The man we saw earlier at the restaurant with mom was sitting at the table.
In Dad’s place.
The man had gray hair but looked to be at least a few years younger than our father. More handsome too, I had to admit, with a chiseled jaw and clean-shaven face. The first thing I noticed though was that he had kind eyes. He smiled at me as I entered, and I liked him instinctively.
I froze in the doorway, the first of the family to walk in and see him.
“Aiden, dear, please come meet my friend, Charles,” Mom said, standing up and walking over to where Charles was sitting. Charles also stood up and offered his hand to me. I firmly shook it.
“Good to meet you, Charles,” I said.
“Nice to meet you too, Aiden. Your mom has told me a lot about you.” I was surprised he didn’t have a French accent, indicating he wasn’t a French native. In fact, he sounded southern.
I looked over at Mom, hoping she might fill in some gaps.
“Charles is Owner and CEO of Montgomery Enterprises out of Greenville,” she said.
I had heard the name Charles Montgomery before—his business, and his name, got a lot of press. All of it good, which was rare for someone with his level of wealth. At least we didn’t have to worry about him coming after Mom’s money.
“Oh, very nice. Real estate development, I believe?”
Charles nodded. “Yes, commercial development, to be exact.”
“I’ve heard about you. I love Greenville, and I’ve seen some of your work, it’s impressive.”
Mom was beaming, clearly happy that things were going so well. Out of all of her kids, I had to admit, I was the one most open to her moving on. I knew that this level of happiness wouldn’t last.
“Greenville born and raised,” the man said, smiling. “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
We lived not too far from Greenville already, so at least we didn’t have to worry about Mom up and leaving us.
“So, what brings you to Chamonix? Did you two meet here?”
Just as Charles was about to respond Kat walked into the room.
“Katherine, I want you to meet Charles Montgomery,” Mom said.
“Hi there,” Kat spoke, her voice sounding worried. She cleared her throat. “Did you tell Jackson we were having company?”
“I haven’t had a chance yet, no.”
I looked back at Kat, with Harper at her side. We shared a knowing and concerned look for our brother’s reaction.
“And this is Harper Olson, who might as well be my second daughter,” Mom said. “She’s Katherine’s best friend, and I’ve watched her grow up in front of my eyes.”
