“And why in the world was I never told it existed?” Simon asked, his voice low and dangerous.

No one dared answer him, the truth hanging in the air like a heavy storm cloud.

Jonathan took a long step back, as if the mere presence of his companion had turned toxic.

“Denise told me she’d been supporting her son financially all these years,” he said, his tone icy and detached.

“She told me she was coming here today to finally take him back, because your family wouldn’t let her near him.”

A wave of indignant murmurs erupted through the room as the audience grasped the full scope of the deception.