Elias tightened his grip on his fork. "I’m not soft, Father. I’m ethical. There’s a difference."
"The merger is off, Father," Elias said, heading for the door. "And so are we."
"The board is concerned about the merger, Elias," Arthur said, not looking up from his steak. "They think you’re soft." pussy mom mature incest
The air in the room curdled. Their mother, Clara, was the only name never spoken in this room. She hadn't died; she had simply walked out one Tuesday morning ten years ago and never looked back.
"She gave it to me," Julian whispered, his bravado slipping. "She called me the night before she left. She said one of us had to get out before the walls closed in." Elias tightened his grip on his fork
Julian let out a sharp, jagged laugh. "Ethical? You’re still living in a house bought with blood money, wearing a watch that costs more than a nurse’s salary. Don't play the saint just because you’re too scared to be the villain."
Arthur finally looked up. His eyes were cold, professional. "She left because she was weak. And she gave you that money because she knew you were the weakest link. A bribe to stay away." There’s a difference
Arthur Sterling, the patriarch whose wealth was built on a foundation of "strategic silence," sat at the head. To his right was Elias, the eldest son and heir apparent, who spent his life mimicking his father’s posture until his own spine felt like glass. To his left was Julian, the "prodigal" who had returned after five years of radio silence, smelling of cheap cigarettes and secrets.