Chapter 5 - Beneath the White Umbrellas
The afternoon of the celebration arrived bright and cloudless.
White umbrellas lined the private beach. Formal tables stood on pale sand, decorated with orchids and glass candles. Beyond the terrace, blue water shone under the sun.
Guests included company directors, investors, family friends, reporters, and members of Chicago’s social elite.
Robert arrived late.
He wore a cream suit, dark sunglasses, and the satisfied expression of a man entering a room he believed he owned.
Marla walked beside him in a sparkling gold gown.
The emerald bracelet glittered on her wrist.
Conversations stopped as they crossed the terrace.
Evelyn stood near the shoreline in her champagne wrap dress. Her silver hair moved gently in the wind. She looked elegant, dignified, and entirely alone.
Robert expected her to approach him.
She did not.
He led Marla through the guests until they reached Evelyn.
“You look well,” Robert said.
“For my age?” Evelyn asked.
Robert gave a small, irritated laugh.
Marla deliberately touched his arm, making certain the bracelet was visible.
Evelyn glanced at it once.
That single look made Marla uncomfortable.
“You recognize it,” Marla said.
“I do.”
“Robert gave it to me.”
“No,” Evelyn replied. “Robert took it from my safe.”
Nearby guests shifted uneasily.
Robert struck the sand once with the end of his cane.
“Don’t make this embarrassing.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“Which part? The theft or the adultery?”
The words traveled farther than Robert expected.
Phones began to rise.
His face tightened.
He had planned to control the announcement from the stage. Evelyn had forced the confrontation into the open before he could prepare his speech.
Robert stepped closer.
“You’re old, Evelyn,” he said coldly. “I’m leaving.”
Marla lifted her chin.
“He has a future with me.”
May you like
Evelyn studied them both.
“Then I hope he has been more honest with you than he was with me.”
