Chapter 32

General POV

It was an intense afternoon at the old Howard mansion, as all of the family members were present and sat around the long, oak table in the large dining room space.

It was the first meeting since Michael had been discharged from the hospital, and the tension in the room was so thick it rubbed on every one of them.

Grandfather had called the meeting, and inwardly, Michael was certain that it was definitely prompted by his last outing with Lilian.

She must have told her parents, who in turn must have informed Grandpa about their shared interest in remaining just friends.

The atmosphere in the room and the look on everyone’s face since Michael entered made it clear that all hell was about to break loose.

But Michael was prepared; his mind had been made up.

They all sat in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts.

Richard and Florence, Michael’s parents, sat to his right, their faces tense, eyes darting between him and the head of the table.

Grandmother was next to Grandpa;