Through the narrow crack of the study door, I saw Darien holding Vienna tightly in his arms. She was still pouting like a child in the middle of a tantrum and he comforted her as if he were afraid she might slip away.
I could accept that Darien didn’t love me anymore. Feelings fade—people change. That much, I could live with.
But how could he destroy the Dawson Family?
How could he drive both my grandfather and father to their deaths?
When the Eugene Family was on the brink of collapse, it was my grandfather who extended a lifeline, offering up a third of our family’s capital without ever asking for repayment. He did all that purely because we were all family.
And when Darien failed in business three times, it was my father who helped him back on his feet. He found him a career coach, guided him step by step and spoke to him with patience. He treated him like a son.
Yet Darien repaid their kindness with betrayal. And all for Vienna’s selfish ambitions.
Suddenly remembering that my mother was still behind me, I turned around in alarm.
She was clutching her chest, her face drained of color, her body swaying—she looked like she might collapse at any moment.