Chapter 15 - The Library Confession
The ballroom erupted into a chaotic symphony of panic. Politicians fled toward the exits, executives frantically dialed their lawyers, and reporters realized they were standing inside the story of the decade. Julian stumbled away from the balcony, retreating into the hotel’s dark-paneled library.
Nora found him there twenty minutes later, staring blindly out a window at the river. “I should have known,” he whispered as she closed the heavy door. “You knew some things,” Nora replied gently. He turned, tears shining in his eyes. “I knew she was cruel. I knew people were afraid of her. But I made her personality your burden. I was a coward.” In the quiet of the library, surrounded by unread first editions, the illusion of the Fairchild legacy shattered completely. “You choose,” Nora told him. “Not between me and your mother. Between the life she built for you, and the life you are willing to build now.”
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