For a brief moment, memories intruded, Lydia working late nights beside him when no one else believed, Lydia selling inherited land to rescue a failing company, Lydia shrinking herself so his confidence could expand, but those memories felt inconvenient now, heavy in a world that demanded spectacle.
“She will not attend,” Miles said quietly, as though stating an obvious correction.
Colin hesitated before responding, “Mrs. Redwood is listed as a primary guest and already cleared by security.”
Miles lifted his gaze, sharp and dismissive. “She does not fit the room, and tonight is about perception, not sentiment.”
After a tense pause, Miles added, “Remove her name, revoke her credentials, and make sure she is denied entry if she arrives.”
Colin complied, fully aware that he had just erased more than a name.
Miles left the office feeling unburdened, already picturing the cameras, the applause, and the woman who would stand beside him that night, a woman carefully chosen to reinforce the narrative he wanted the world to see.
That woman was Brielle Knox.