Chapter 8 - THE FATHER'S PAST
The house fell quiet again after Eleanor’s dramatic exit.
Arthur sat back down in his armchair,
staring thoughtfully into the cold fireplace below the giant photograph.
“She reminds me of myself thirty years ago,
” Arthur murmured softly.
“Who does?” I asked,
sitting on the sofa opposite him.
“Victoria,
” Arthur replied,
a hint of deep regret in his aged eyes.
“When I was young,
I built my shipping empire by stepping on whoever stood in my path.
”
“I thought charm was a substitute for integrity,
and that money could buy absolution for any betrayal.
”
“I saw myself in Victoria when I married her.
”
“I thought her ambition was just youthful drive.
”
“I didn't realize until it was too late that she had no soul beneath the charm.
”
“You survived it,
Arthur,
” I said gently.
“You built a family,
you raised children who know right from wrong.
”
“Look at Chloe and Marcus.
”
“Look at Richard.
”
“They have integrity because you taught them the cost of losing it.
”
Arthur smiled weakly,
shaking his head.
“They have integrity in spite of me,
my dear,
not because of me.
”
“And you… you saved us all from a slow,
poisoned demise.
”
“If you hadn't checked those bank accounts when the photograph arrived,
Victoria would have bled the estate dry within a year.
”
“She was already planning to have me declared mentally incompetent so she could seize full control of the trust,
” Arthur revealed quietly.
My eyes widened slightly.
“Incompetent?”
“Yes,
” Arthur nodded,
reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a certified medical document.
“Her private physician,
Dr.
Harrison,
was on her payroll.
”
“He had already prepared false neurological evaluations claiming my cognitive faculties were declining.
”
“She was going to sign me into a private care facility by next month.
”
The chilling depth of Victoria’s plot sent a shiver down my spine.
She wasn't just having an affair for thrill or money.
She was executing a long-term corporate and domestic takeover.
“Thank God we exposed them when we did,
” I whispered.
“Thank God you had the courage to fight back,
” Arthur corrected,
raising his teacup in a silent toast.
“Now,
let’s discuss your Chicago architectural firm.
”
May you like
“Because your career is about to rise from the ashes much faster than theirs.
”
