Chapter 8 - Charles Knew Nathaniel Was Coming
Hotel footage answered the question.
Charles had spoken to one of his partners near the ballroom entrance
twenty minutes before the wine incident.
The partner showed him something on a phone.
Cross Meridian security had notified hotel management of Nathaniel’s
arrival.
Charles knew.
Not everything.
But enough.
He knew Nathaniel Cross was entering the hotel.
He knew I was calling someone.
And he likely suspected the connection.
His behavior toward me became more aggressive immediately afterward.
Why?
Charles eventually admitted it during a meeting with counsel.
He thought I had secretly arranged Nathaniel’s attendance to embarrass
him.
I had not.
Nathaniel was arriving late because his flight from New York had been
delayed.
He intended to attend quietly as my husband.
Charles assumed strategy because strategy was how he viewed
relationships.
Then he saw the sealed Hartwell envelope in my bag.
He panicked.
The wine was not part of a sophisticated plan.
It was anger.
Control.
A father trying to humiliate a daughter before she could challenge him.
That almost made it worse.
There was no mastermind behind the glass.
May you like
Just a man who had spent decades believing he could punish me whenever I
stopped cooperating.
