Billionaire Brother Gave Me an Empty Card Now I'm Dumpster-Diving Thanks for the Love novel · Chapter 8 of 24

Chapter 8: The Winter Gala

The Winter Gala was held in the glass ballroom at the top of the Halsey Grand.

Three hundred guests came, and a string quartet played.

I wore Brynn's green dress, taken in at the waist with eleven safety pins.

She wore silver and held my arm the whole way up in the elevator.

"If you want to leave, we leave," she said.

"I'm not leaving."

"Good," she said, and her hand shook on my sleeve. "Neither am I."

Mom and Dad sat at the head table under a banner that read: THE KESSLING FOUNDATION: FEEDING OUR CITY.

Dustin stood near the back wall in a dark suit that fit him badly, with the board's name tag on his lapel.

He met my eyes and gave one small nod.

Caleb took the stage at nine.

Caleb looked rested and sure of himself.

"Friends," he said, in his warm, unhurried voice. "Every year we gather to celebrate what a family can do for a city."

The room applauded.

"This year, the Kessling family has a gift of our own. My sister Erin came home to us a month ago."

More applause.

A woman near me wiped her eye.

"I'll be honest with you, because this room has always been honest with me," Caleb said.

"Her return has been hard on her. We've had some worrying weeks."

He paused.

"Money has gone missing from a family account, a very large amount."

He let that settle.

"I fear my sister has been led astray by people who don't have her interests at heart. I only want to say tonight that she is loved, and that we are here to help her."

← Chapter 7 · All chapters · Chapter 9 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend