Chapter 72 Once 24 and Desperate
Richard did not look like a man who was losing his grip, he sat at the head of the table with a single glass of water and a thin, blue folder, and he looked at the three of them as if they were a curiosity he was studying under a microscope.
Helena sat a few chairs away, her face was a mask of tight-lipped fury, and she kept her eyes fixed on the folder as if it were a weapon she was waiting for her father to draw.
"You speak about leaving as if it is a simple matter of walking through a door, Alex, but you forget that the Hayes name is currently tied to three separate Harrington contracts that I have no intention of releasing," Richard said, his voice was a low, resonant boom that filled the high-ceilinged room.
"The contracts are exclusive to the Harrington Group, but they are not exclusive to your leadership, and since the board is currently reviewing Helena’s London disaster, I don't think they’ll mind if I take those projects with me to the new firm," Alex replied, he stepped forward and placed his resignation letter directly on top of Richard’s folder, his movements were slow and deliberate.
"You think the board cares about a few missed margins in London more than they care about the stability of the Harrington line? You are being a fool for a woman who has already cost you your reputation," Richard said, he didn't even glance at the letter, he just pushed it aside and opened the blue folder.
"My mother is already on her way to meet with the Vane trustees, and they are prepared to pull every cent of the maternal endowment if you move to block this transition, so let's stop talking about what I'm losing and start talking about what you stand to lose," Alex told him, and Sarah felt a surge of pride at the cold, calculating edge in his voice.
"I am not interested in the Vane money, I am interested in the truth, and I think Mark deserves to hear how his mother really handled the first year of her business," Richard said, he turned his head to look at Mark, who was standing with his arms crossed and his jaw set in a hard line.
"If you're going to try and lie to me about my mom, you should save it, because I’ve heard enough Harrington stories to last me a lifetime," Mark said, his voice was steady and he didn't flinch under the old man’s gaze.
"This isn't a story, Mark, it is a record of a transaction, you see, your mother didn't just 'work hard' to keep her first studio, she took a payment from a private lender to provide specific structural details about the Vane estate while she was working there as a junior designer," Richard said, he slid a paper out of the folder that showed a signature Sarah hadn't seen in twenty years.
The room went silent, and Sarah felt the blood drain from her face as she looked at the document, it was a promissory note she had signed when she was twenty-four and desperate.
She had never known that the man who lent her the money was a business rival of the Harringtons. She looked at Mark, and then at Alex, and she realized that Richard had been holding this tiny piece of her past waiting for the exact moment he could use it to cut her.
"Is this true, Mom? Did you sell information about the house?" Mark asked, and the confidence in his voice wavered just enough to show the hurt underneath.
"I took a loan to pay for our apartment, Mark, and I gave a consultant a list of the materials used in the Vane library renovation, I didn't know it was a 'security detail' and I didn't know it was meant to hurt anyone," Sarah said, she turned to face her son, her voice was hard and she didn't offer a plea for forgiveness.
"I did what I had to do so you wouldn't have to grow up in a shelter, and I have spent twenty years making up for every mistake I made when I was young and scared."
"She was a spy before she was a designer, Alex, and you just gave her the keys to the entire family vault," Helena spat, she stood up and walked toward the window, her laughter sounding mean.
"Alex, look at me," Sarah said, she moved to stand in front of him, her hand reaching for his arm but he remained as still as a statue.
"I didn't tell you because it wasn't a part of my life anymore, and it has nothing to do with us or the firm we are building now."
"It has everything to do with us, because it means my father has had a hook in you since before I even knew your name," Alex said, and his voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper, he looked at the paper on the table and then at Sarah, and she saw the flicker of the boy who had been betrayed too many times. "You told me we were done with the secrets."
"I am done with them, that’s why I'm standing here instead of running," she told him, but the unity they had walked in with was already starting to fray at the edges.
"The meeting is adjourned, I think you all have some things to discuss in private, and Alex, the lawyers will be in the study if you want to reconsider that resignation before the press gets the story about your partner's early career," Richard said, he stood up and walked out of the room without looking back, leaving the blue folder open on the table.
Mark was the first to move, he didn't say a word to Alex or Sarah, he just turned and walked out of the dining room, the heavy doors slamming behind him with a sound that felt final. Sarah looked at Alex, hoping for a sign that he was still with her, but he just stared at the signature on the paper.
"Alex, please," Sarah said, but he just shook his head and walked toward the other door, the one that led deeper into the Harrington mansion.