Maximilian's lips trembled as he pressed them together.
This was not new.
Ever since his father's death, the man Gabriel Whitmore had once crowned as the future of their legacy, his grandfather's contempt had settled on him like a verdict already passed. Gabriel believed Maximilian was the reason his son was gone.
And it showed.
In private.
In public.
Even now…dragging his friends into it, staining everything Maximilian touched.
He had learned to endure it. To stand still and let the blows pass through him.
But tonight…
Tonight, Catherine heard it.
And it was different.
It would have been one thing if this were elders correcting youth. That happened everywhere. It was almost expected. But this… this was not a correction.
This was hatred.
Sharp. Personal. Undeniable.
Catherine felt it immediately… and the first thing that rose in her chest was… anger.
