Chapter 38: I Don't Care
CHARLES’S POV:
Charles was in his room with his entourage—minus Malia and Todd, of course. Their faces stared at him like carved statues of disappointment. Mr. Dugan—carrying with him all the weight and power of the government. Mr. Taylor—whose affable nature had dried and become like stone. Who knew what he was thinking? And Grace—who had known Charles since he was a little boy. Couldn’t Charles get through to her?
His arguments were weak and poorly expressed because his mind was elsewhere; on Malia. Where had Malia gone? Charles wanted to dash out of the room to find her. But he could not run from this dilemma. He had to face the fallout of the mess he’d wrought. He had to make them see the finality in his choice.
Charles rubbed his temples. “I won’t go through with it,” he said for the tenth time.
“Be reasonable, Mr. Dunn,” Mr. Dugan said, swirling another brandy in his glass. “Do you have any idea how much time, money, and energy the government spent getting to this point?”