Amelia had helped set dining table while Giselle handled the cooking. Richard and Chase had settled in a cavern of cold marble and echoing silence, broken only by the rhythmic scrape of silver against porcelain. The chandelier hung low over the dinner table, casting shadows across Chase’s face. He hadn't looked at Giselle once since they sat down to eat. Even when she tried to maintain eye contact.
Richard sat at the head of the table, like the undisputed king of the domain that he was. He moved with a terrifyingly calm precision that reminded every person in the room that he was the absolute patriarch, cutting his food and chewing as if he were performing surgery.
"The merger with the Sterling Group is stalling," Chase muttered, waving his fork dismissively. "The board is full of dinosa
