Blake smiled.
“The separation documents are already being prepared.”
Lenette lifted her glass.
“Arden will agree to whatever you offer. Give her a small apartment and enough money to begin again. She should be grateful.”
Warren Winslow sat quietly beside his wife.
Unlike the others, he looked uneasy.
“You are all speaking as though Arden has no feelings,” he said.
Lenette turned toward him.
“Do not become sentimental now. That woman has enjoyed this family’s generosity for years.”
None of them noticed the microphones built into the table decorations.
The ballroom’s broadcast system recorded every word.
Inside the production room, Graham Voss listened in silence.
The Woman at the Top of the Staircase
At nine forty-two, the ballroom lights dimmed.
A large screen behind the stage displayed the Fairchild Capital emblem.
The evening’s host announced a new national initiative that would provide funding for community medical clinics, affordable family housing, clean-energy programs, and scholarships for students from rural towns.
