Page 115 of Blind Prophet

Sheryl, Bob, the pilot, and I exchange pleasantries, then climb the few steps onto the plane. Unlike some private planes I’ve been on, this one is a standard configuration with a row of wide leather seats on each side of a standard aisle.

Luke claimed the seat furthest to the back. It’s likely part of his training, positioning himself where he can observe everything. Unlike me, he didn’t meet and greet before boarding.

I take a seat in the second row, and Sheryl and Bob disappear behind a walnut door.

Luke can’t possibly read my screens, so I remove both of my phones. On my personal, there’s a text from Dorian.

My Ex

Who is that guy?

I grin.

Me

A colleague.

My Ex

If he’s security, he needs to be replaced. He was looking at you, not me.

Me

Might that be in your head?

My Ex

No.

Me

BS. He wore reflective shades.

Sheryl enters the cabin and returns my smile, but I’m smiling at my phone, not her.

My Ex

Trust me.

I request sparkling water and return to my screen. I’m intrigued by his newfound brother. It’s curious that his father never mentioned him. I can understand why he’d avoid scandal when he was an up-and-coming business magnate. But now? Few remember him, and those who do wouldn’t be surprised. While he might have wanted to avoid scandal, he didn’t succeed. His father was never plagued with the Epstein variety scandal, but affairs, often with married women, were par for the course.

Is that why his father kept his brother a secret? Is Geoffrey’s mother still alive? Is there a husband out there who believes Geoffrey Cromwell is his son?

Dorian was born some twenty years after Geoffrey. Does Dorian’s mother know the truth? For so many years, I begged Dorian to visit his mother, but he always refused. He said he had no desire to meet a woman who chose money over her son.

I’ve always doubted that story. Halston forced her away, I’m certain of it. I once researched his mother with little success. I found herNew York Timesengagement and wedding announcements and an article inTown and Countrywith photographs of the wedding, but little else. Unlike Halston’s other wives, Dorian’s mother shied away from the spotlight.

My Ex

Still there?

Me

Y

My Ex

Leaving from Telluride?

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