I moved through the crowd, maintaining face despite the concerns playing out inside my head.

An urgent family matter was the last thing I’d expected tonight. And it couldn’t have come at a more inopportune time. Right when I was ready to devote my attention to the one person who completely deserved it, I had been taken away from her.

Glancing over my shoulder, I quickly found Sophia one last time before losing sight of her. She stood there with her wine glass in one hand, waving her fingers at me with her other. Her smile radiated through me and I couldn’t wait to get back to her, hoping she would be fine during my absence.

Heads bobbed and faces smiled from strangers and foes alike. Smiling back, it was important not to give any hints that something might be wrong. And no matter how well I was able to ignore the anxieties roiling my stomach, I could feel my facial muscles tighten with worry.

A hand reached out and I shook it, greeting the man and his date.

Still lost inside my head, I couldn’t remember what was said or what I had heard. The only thing on my mind was learning what was wrong and who was in trouble.

Continuing to wedge myself through the swelling crowd, I lifted my head only to find Charlotte’s coffee bean eyes watching me from across the room. I wondered if she had been notified too, or if the secret was only delivered to me. Regardless, her focus was squarely on me and the look on her face led me to believe she could see past the façade and into the truth playing out across my face.

The murmur from the crowd grew louder as the room started to spin.

Thinking the worst, my chest tightened along with the muscles in my neck.

I hoped that Mom and Dad were okay and that this had nothing to do with any one of my siblings. Whatever the news was, I knew it had to be serious for it to come to me first instead of passing through Charlotte. Despite her strength, she was our baby sister, the one we consistently protected from the outside world no matter the cost.

Moving between rooms, I found myself heading up the stairs to the second floor.

I supported myself with my hand on the railing as I rose above the much smaller circles of people enjoying conversation in the quieter rooms of the house. The next thing I knew, eyes were on me, and not just any eyes, they were the eyes of the man behind tonight.

Staring at Mr. Rothschild, my stomach churned as I watched his smile turn downward into a scowl.

I felt my legs grow heavy as lines of disappointment crossed over his face. And I knew the reason behind his grimace. But before I had time to think any further into his stony expression, his wife was rushing toward me as I reached the top step.

“Thank God, Nolan.” Mrs. Rothschild moved swiftly on her feet. “I was afraid they weren’t able to find you.”

Peeling my eyes away from her husband, I asked, “What is it?”

Mrs. Rothschild stole my hand and began dragging me down the hall to the study. “It’s your parents,” she said frantically.

“Are they all right?” My eyes glazed over.

“It’s your father.” She glanced over her shoulder. “He’s on the phone now and would like to speak to you directly.”

The moment we pushed through the study door, Mrs. Rothschild hurried to the desk where the phone line had been left open. She picked up the phone and said, “Don, I have Nolan here.”

I stepped forward, reaching for the phone.

Mrs. Rothschild covered the microphone as she handed over the receiver.

I took the phone into my hand with a racing heart and lifted it to my ear as I watched Mrs. Rothschild skirt around me and close the door behind as she left.

“Dad, what’s going on?” My back began to sweat. “Is everything all right?”

“Nolan, what were you thinking?” His sharp tone took the place of a lecture.

My brows squished. “What’s going on?”

“What’s going on is me having to hear about you bringing a stranger to the event the Rothschilds entrusted you with running,” he barked through the line.

Dropping my head, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Suddenly, everything made sense. The look on Charlotte’s face, the disappointment in Mr. Rothschild’s eyes. This was a family matter, but it certainly wasn’t the emergency I had expected.

“How’s your vacation, Dad?” I asked mockingly. “Is Mom enjoying your company?”

“Everything is fine, Nolan,” Dad said as I realized I should have seen this coming. “That was until we were interrupted by the news coming from tonight’s gala.”

Turning to face the door, I lowered my tailbone and rested it on the edge of my father’s wooden desk. “Everything is fine. The house is packed. And drinks are being served.”

“Those aren’t my concerns. All that should be expected.”

“I’m sorry you were interrupted tonight, Dad. But the woman I brought tonight is incredible.” The dimly lit room brightened when I thought about Sophia. “There is no reason for you to worry.”

“Nolan, I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you, but you should have invited Audrey.” Dad exhaled a heavy sigh. Then he proceeded to tell me everything I already knew—how Audrey specifically stayed in town for an extra couple nights with hopes that I would ask her to join me tonight. “That was why I had you host the event instead of one of your brothers.”

“What do you want me to say?”

I could hear Dad shaking his head through the line. Then I could hear Mom adding her two cents in the background, telling Dad about how he had to remind me to play politics if only to stay on good terms with the Rothschilds.

“Nolan, your brother was counting on you. You know how important his campaign for governor is to him—to our family. What you did tonight is unacceptable.”

Rubbing the grit out of my eyes, I asked, “And what do you expect me to do?”

“Send her home,” he said without hesitation.

My head jerked up.

My heart stopped.

And my fist clenched.

“You know I can’t do that,” I said.

“This isn’t about you.”

“I know it’s about Coop.” My eyes rolled.

“Wrong,” Dad said.

My brows pinched.

“It’s about family legacy.” He paused as if to let the thought soak into my thick head. “Maintaining the reputation I have built for this family. Ensuring that the Fosters don’t lose the influence we have acquired after giving our blood, sweat, and tears to achieve. That is what tonight is for. It’s not about you, Nolan. It’s about us.”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I stood and rolled my shoulders back. “I get it.”

“Then do what you have to do.”

I turned back to the desk and nodded.

“And, Nolan, don’t make me regret choosing you to handle tonight’s event.”

My tongue wet my dry lips.

“Remember, son, you’re not my only child who can run Foster Enterprises.”