Victor opened his mouth, but no sound came out. For the first time in his life, Victor Prescott had nothing to say.
The aftermath of Margaret’s revelation was unlike anything the Prescott family had ever witnessed. Marcus, who had spent his entire life modeling himself after Victor, looked like a man watching his identity crumble. He sank into a chair, head in his hands.
“I called her a charity case.”
The words came out broken, barely audible.
“At Thanksgiving 3 years ago, in front of everyone. I said, ‘At least we know one person at this table didn’t earn their place here.’ Everyone laughed. Sabrina just smiled like she was used to it.”
He looked up, tears streaming down his face.
“She was used to it because I did it all the time. Because you made me think it was okay.”
Victor said nothing.
“I’m 35 years old,”
Marcus’s voice cracked,
“and I’ve been a bully my entire adult life. To my own sister—who wasn’t even technically my sister—who never did anything to me except exist.”
“Marcus, you couldn’t have known.”
“I didn’t want to know.”
He stood abruptly, chair scraping against the marble floor.
“I didn’t ask questions because the answers might have made me uncomfortable. That’s not ignorance, Dad. That’s cowardice.”
He turned to Helena, who had been standing frozen, her perfect composure finally cracked.
“And you—you orchestrated this. You told me Sabrina was beneath us. You coached me on exactly what to say to make her feel small.”
“I was protecting this family.”
“You were protecting your inheritance.”
Marcus’ disgust was palpable.
“This was never about family. This was about money. It’s always been about money with you.”
He looked at his father one last time.
“I don’t know who I am anymore, but I know I don’t want to be you.”
Marcus walked out of the dining room without another word, and Victor, for the first time anyone could remember, looked truly alone.
Victor made one last attempt to salvage the evening. He straightened his brony jacket, smoothed his silver hair, summoned the commanding presence that had built a real estate empire and intimidated boardrooms for 40 years.
Leave a Comment