And Sam? Sam was 14. They came downstairs for a glass of water and saw Richard’s body. The next morning, Margaret sat them down and said, “You saw nothing. Or we will lose everything. And it will be your fault.”
(laughs, hollow) “That’s a joke. A typo. Dad and I… we were partners.”
(looks at Julian) “No. I just didn’t want to be the only one who knew why.”
Arthur didn’t give Clara the company because she was a woman. He gave her the work —the thankless, endless maintenance—because she felt too guilty to leave. She hadn’t seen the push, but she had heard Richard scream. And she said nothing. Her guilt became her prison.
Arthur didn’t pay Julian for loyalty. He enslaved him with the secret. Every bailout, every “partnership,” was a leash. Julian became a nervous wreck disguised as a playboy.
