I did not move or react outwardly, but I felt every word settle heavily inside me as I realized my son had brought me there to be used rather than respected.
He lifted his glass with a smile and added, “After tomorrow’s signature, I will not need to pretend that I care anymore,” and that sentence shattered whatever hope I still carried.
I looked directly at him, placed my napkin aside with steady hands, and spoke clearly for the first time that evening.
“Then you should explain right now, in front of me, exactly what you were planning to take from me,” I said firmly, and my voice cut through the quiet room.
Silence fell instantly across the table, and even the waiter approaching with the next course froze a few steps away as if sensing something had shifted.
Gregory turned pale, gripping his glass too tightly, while the client looked at me with a mixture of surprise and respect that I had not expected.
“Mom, what did you just say?” Gregory asked, his voice unsteady.
“I said explain everything, right now, without lies,” I repeated slowly, keeping my gaze fixed on him.