Chapter 3 - The Family Dinner Disaster
That evening, the grand dining room of the Addison estate was set with crystal, silver, and candlelight. Eleanor Addison, Blake’s formidable mother, sat at the head of the table, while Audrey Lawson sat gracefully to her right, recounting tales of her time in Florence to an enthralled audience of aunts and uncles.
The front door opened, and Blake hurried into the dining room, looking disheveled, sweaty, and frantic. His tie was loose, and his hair was uncombed—a stark contrast to the immaculate presentation I always ensured he maintained.
"Blake, darling! You're late," Eleanor chided lightly, adjusting her pearls. "And where is Natalie? We saved a seat for her, though I suppose it's for the best she gave Audrey some breathing room tonight."
Blake slammed his briefcase onto the sideboard, panting slightly. "Natalie is gone, Mom."
The polite chatter around the table died instantly. Audrey paused with her water glass halfway to her mouth.
Eleanor frowned, setting her fork down with a sharp clink. "Gone? What do you mean gone? Did she go to her mother's?"
"She packed her things. She left her engagement ring on the console. And she resigned from the company at noon today," Blake blurted out, panic bleeding through his voice. "She locked me out of the master administrative accounts. I can’t even access the investor presentation for tomorrow morning!"
An uncomfortable, heavy silence blanketed the room.
Audrey offered a small, sympathetic smile, attempting to lighten the mood. "Oh, Blake. Don't be dramatic. She's probably just throwing a little tantrum because I'm back. Give her a day or two; she’ll come crawling back once she realizes she can’t survive without you."
It was the wrong thing to say, and it came from a woman who had no idea how deeply my hands had been woven into every facet of Blake’s success.
"You don't understand," Blake snapped, turning on Audrey with sudden frustration. "Natalie didn't just organize my schedule. She managed Mom's medication reminders, she kept the European board members from pulling their funding, and she wrote every single speech I've delivered in three years! Without her, I'm flying blind!"
Eleanor’s face hardened into a mask of pure fury. She glared at her son. "You let her walk out? Over a family dinner? Blake, you absolute fool! Natalie holds the keys to half our corporate partnerships, and you alienated her to coddle an ex-girlfriend who hasn't been relevant in a decade?!"
May you like
Audrey’s cheeks flushed a bright, humiliated crimson. She lowered her gaze to her plate, her effortless confidence instantly shattering.
Blake stood in the center of the dining room, surrounded by his glaring family and a ruined dinner party, finally realizing the catastrophic magnitude of what he had lost.
