The reception was held in a grand ballroom that overlooked the valley and the lights of the city. Justin had arranged for Cassidy to be seated at a small table in the far corner near the kitchen.
Maxwell saw the seating card and immediately called over the event coordinator with a polite smile. “I believe there has been a mistake and Ms. Thorne will be sitting at my table in the center,” Maxwell said.
The coordinator moved them immediately while Justin watched from the bar with a red face. During dinner Justin approached the table with a drink in his hand and a look of desperation.
“Can we talk in private, Cassidy?” he asked while glancing at Maxwell. “Anything you have to say can be said right here in front of our friends,” she answered.
“This is a family matter and it is none of his business,” Justin hissed. “You made it everyone business when you invited me here to humiliate me,” Cassidy said clearly.
Maxwell looked at Justin and told him to be very careful with his next words. “You called your sons props earlier today and I think you should apologize for that,” Maxwell added.
The surrounding tables went quiet as guests began to listen to the conversation. Paige the bride appeared in her white gown and asked what was happening at the main table.
“Justin was just about to explain why he lied about selling the family home,” Maxwell said to the bride. Justin tried to laugh it off but his voice was shaking and he looked like he wanted to run.
“My son did what he had to do because of Cassidy spending,” Gillian interrupted from nearby. “Actually he did it because he embezzled money from my company and had to pay it back,” Maxwell declared.
The silence that followed was so heavy that you could hear the ice melting in the glasses. Gillian looked at her son with a expression of pure horror as the truth finally sank in.
“Is that true, Justin?” she whispered while her eyes filled with tears of shame. “Mom, it is complicated and he is just trying to ruin me,” Justin lied one last time.
“It is not complicated at all because the bank records and the audit prove everything,” Maxwell said. Mason looked up from his plate and asked if his father had stolen the house from them.
The boy question was so simple and honest that it broke the last of Justin defense. “Daddy made us lose our home because he was a bad man?” Mason asked again.