There had long been signs foretelling the massive upheaval within the Hale family. The acquaintance from the capital sat inside my dessert shop, recounting everything vividly.
Madam Hale's eightieth birthday celebration had turned into a laughingstock, and it dragged a long-buried scandal out into the open.
The antique Venetian glass inkwell Mia had swapped out years ago had originally been a relic left by my maternal grandfather. It had never belonged to the Hales. Madam Hale had bullied my grandfather and seized it from him by abusing her influence decades earlier. Now that the truth came to light, everyone within elite social circles held the Hales' integrity in complete contempt.
The family corporation's stock suffered consecutive days of plunging prices amid the credibility crisis.
