On the second day after Preston Monroe arrived in Northgate, he was to meet the Thorne Family at Plum Garden Lodge.
The forecast said it might snow in Northgate today.
Zoe Monroe felt her position as the Monroe Family's stepdaughter was awkward, so she hadn't wanted to go. But Miranda Jacobs called her directly. "It's just our two families having a meal together. Don't overthink it."
"Miss Miranda, I..."
"Your mother treated Joyce well, so naturally I see you as a daughter, too. We're all family."
When she arrived at The Plum Garden with her father, the Thorne Family had already been waiting for a long time. The air was full of lively, polite greetings, and Zoe Monroe subconsciously scanned her surroundings...
He,
...wasn't there.
It took Zoe Monroe a moment to realize. 'Why am I even concerned about him!'
"Zoe, what are you looking at?" Joyce Monroe asked with a smile, looking at her younger sister.
"Nothing. I just think this place is very elegant."
