Veronica leaned closer, cheeks pink with excitement. "Do you know him?" she whispered as if revealing a forbidden secret. "That's Franklin Roth, the richest man in Atherton, CEO of Titan Capital Group."
Thelma paused mid-sip, her eyes widening the moment the name registered.
"This isn't even his kind of place," she muttered, lowering her glass slowly. "I read last month's business report. He was promoted to chairman of the entire Roth Empire. Officially the richest man in America. Can you believe that?"
Her voice swelled with enthusiasm, spilling over into a running commentary. "And apparently he's never had a public girlfriend, never been married. Men like that? They're practically extinct."
Drake shifted in his seat, visibly uneasy with how starstruck she sounded. "You seem
