Chapter 10 - A Dinner Without Manners
Celia Ashford invited Naomi to dinner three nights after the library meeting. The invitation arrived by courier on heavy cream paper, and Naomi nearly threw it away.
“You should go,” Lena said.
“Why?”
“Because wealthy families rarely invite people to dinner unless they want something.”
“That is not encouraging.”
“It means you should find out what it is.”
Weston arrived to drive her, but Naomi refused the car and took the train. He was waiting at the estate gates when she arrived, his expression caught between amusement and resignation.
“You made me wait,” he said.
“I wanted you to experience uncertainty.”
“It is memorable.”
Inside, Celia sat at the head of a long table. Ava was there, along with Harold Venn and two board members Naomi had never met. The meal looked beautiful and tasted like a negotiation.
“We are here to discuss the future of Ashford Living,” Celia said.
“Then why am I the only person without a board vote?” Naomi asked.
Weston choked on his water.
Celia’s mouth twitched. “Because you are the person most likely to say what the board does not want to hear.”
Harold set down his fork. “The company cannot be governed by emotional reactions to historical events.”
“A forged accusation destroyed my family,” Naomi said. “That is not an emotional reaction.”
“It happened fifteen years ago.”
“The money is still in the company.”
One of the board members, Judith Hale, looked at Ava. “How much does she know?”
“Enough,” Ava said.
Weston leaned forward. “We are not using Naomi as a witness without her consent.”
“She is already involved,” Harold replied. “The question is whether she understands the consequences.”
Naomi placed her napkin on the table. “I understand that every person here had a chance to tell the truth and chose a different priority.”
Judith’s expression sharpened. “You are accusing the entire board.”
“I am describing the result.”
Weston looked at Naomi, and for one dangerous second she forgot the table was full of people who could end both their careers.
“The board will authorize an independent forensic audit,” Celia said. “In return, we expect all parties to avoid public statements until the audit is complete.”
“That sounds reasonable,” Ava said.
“It sounds like a gag order,” Naomi replied.
“It is a confidentiality agreement,” Judith said.
“Will it prevent the company from calling my father a thief?”
“The company has not made that claim recently.”
“Will it prevent you from blaming me if the audit finds something?”
No one answered.
Weston removed a folded document from his jacket. “I have revised the agreement.”
Harold stared at him. “You negotiated without the board?”
“I drafted terms. They include protection for Naomi and every employee who cooperates. They also state that the company will publish a correction if Daniel Calvert was wrongfully accused.”
Judith’s voice turned cold. “You are willing to embarrass your own family in public.”
“If embarrassment is the price of accuracy, yes.”
The words changed the room. Weston was no longer asking permission. He was declaring a line.
Celia looked at him with sadness. “Your father once stood where you are.”
“Did he cross the line?”
“No. He moved it.”
Naomi heard the hidden warning. “What happened to the money from Cedar Vale?”
Celia closed her eyes briefly. “Some paid for properties. Some paid debts. Some was transferred to a private account controlled by Victor and Marcus. I did not know the full amount until after Daniel disappeared.”
Weston’s voice was quiet. “You signed the original authorization.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Victor told me the funds were temporary and necessary to save the company.”
“And when you learned otherwise?”
“I was afraid.”
Naomi looked at the woman whose family had built its fortune from fear. She expected to hate her. Instead, she saw an old person finally exhausted by the weight of what she had not done.
“Fear explains silence,” Naomi said. “It does not excuse it.”
“I know,” Celia replied.
After dinner, Naomi found Weston in the garden. The city lights glowed beyond the wall.
“You did not have to bring me here,” he said.
“I wanted to see the room where your family made decisions.”
“And?”
“It is smaller than I expected.”
He laughed softly. “The house is large.”
“The room is small.”
They stood beneath a bare tree. The air smelled of rain.
“I am sorry about your father,” Weston said.
“I am sorry about yours.”
“I don’t know whether he was a monster.”
“Most people are not only one thing.”
“That is not comforting.”
“It is honest.”
Weston looked at her. “You could leave.”
“I know.”
“The audit will be ugly. The company may collapse. I may lose everything.”
“You say that as if I am supposed to reassure you.”
“I am telling you the truth.”
“Then hear mine. I do not want you to save my family’s name. I want you to stop asking me to carry it.”
His face softened. “I can do that.”
“And I do not want to be the reason you become better.”
“You are not.”
“Good.”
“You are the reason I stopped pretending I was already better.”
The words stayed between them. Naomi wanted to step closer and knew exactly why she should not.
“We are not doing this tonight,” she said.
“I know.”
“You keep saying that.”
“It is becoming a useful sentence.”
She smiled despite herself. The smile frightened her more than the attraction.
May you like
At the gates, Weston offered to drive her home again. This time, Naomi accepted the ride but sat in the back seat.
Neither of them mentioned that the distance felt more intimate than sitting beside him would have.
