Chapter 7 - The Aftermath in the Ballroom
Within fifteen minutes, the Grand Ballroom of the Drake Hotel was transformed from a scene of luxurious celebration into a hollow, ruined hall.
Guest after guest filed out in awkward, hushed silence, casting pitiful and scandalous glances at my family as they hurried toward the coat check. The live violinists packed their instruments into velvet cases; the catering staff began clearing away untouched plates of lobster and caviar.
My father sat slumped in a gold gilt chair near the empty stage, his head buried in his hands, his expensive suit jacket discarded on the floor beside him.
My mother was weeping hysterically near the head table, her sapphire gown wrinkled, her mascara running down her face in dark streaks.
And Elise stood in the middle of the empty dance floor, clutching her white lace dress, staring at me with a look of pure, unadulterated hatred.
"You monster," Elise spat, stepping toward me, her voice shaking with rage. "You absolute monster! You ruined my life! Julian was going to marry me! We were going to buy a house in Lake Forest! And you destroyed it all in five minutes!"
I stood near the door, resting my weight evenly on my silver cane, feeling a deep, throbbing ache in my lower spine, but refusing to show a single sign of weakness.
"You destroyed your own life, Elise," I said quietly. "When you agreed to help Father forge that Power of Attorney while I lay bleeding in a hospital bed."
"We needed the money!" Elise screamed, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. "We needed it for the family! You have everything, Nora! You have your fancy law career, your high salary, your stupid brownstone! You never share anything with us! You’re selfish!"
I looked at my younger sister—the girl who had spent her entire life being pampered, protected, and praised while I carried the financial and emotional weight of the entire family on my back.
"I paid off your college tuition, Elise," I said, my voice steady and cold. "I paid for Mother’s medical bills. I paid for Father's office rent three times when his clients defaulted. I gave this family over eight hundred thousand dollars of my hard-earned money over the last ten years."
Elise blinked, momentarily stunned by the numbers.
"And when I needed you," I continued, stepping closer to her, the click of my cane ringing like a death knell in the quiet room. "When I was cut open for nine hours, when I didn't know if I would ever walk again... not one of you stood in that waiting room. You were here. Drinking champagne on my grandmother's stolen money."
My mother stumbled over, her voice raspy from crying. "Nora... please... we’re your parents! You can't let them take Vance Holdings! Your father will go to prison!"
I turned my head slowly toward my mother.
"Then he should have thought about that before he committed felony fraud," I said. "The forensic audit begins on Monday morning. I suggest Father hires a good criminal defense attorney. Though I doubt he can afford one now."
"Nora!" my father sobbed from his chair, looking up with red, bloodshot eyes. "Please... I’m your father!"
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"Family shows up, Richard," I quoted his own words back to him, watching his face drain of what little color remained. "That's what you told me before my surgery. 'Family shows up.' Well... you didn't show up for me. So don't expect me to show up for your trial."
I turned on my heel and walked out of the Grand Ballroom.
