Chapter 11
Cesare removed Julian from all foundation decisions the following morning.
Not permanently.
Not publicly.
But immediately.
Julian did not argue.
“You need to be home with your daughter,” Cesare told him.
“I know.”
“No. You need to learn what that means.”
Julian looked exhausted.
Avice had already noticed something was wrong.
When Julian returned to the townhouse after confessing to Cesare, she was awake in her bed.
“Daddy?”
He sat beside her.
She touched his sleeve.
“Vanessa isn’t having a baby?”
Julian swallowed.
“No.”
“Did you know?”
That question nearly destroyed him.
Children had an instinct for the shortest path to the truth.
Julian could have lied again.
Instead he nodded.
“For a little while.”
Avice stared at him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Julian had no good answer.
“Because Daddy was scared.”
“Of Vanessa?”
“No.”
He looked down.
“Of everyone finding out.”
Avice thought about that.
Then she rolled onto her side.
“Okay.”
She did not ask him to leave.
She also did not ask him to stay.
Julian sat alone beside her bed for almost an hour.
Across town, Diane was furious over losing access to the foundation.
She called Cesare repeatedly.
He answered only once.
“You are blaming me for Julian’s cowardice.”
“I am holding both of you responsible.”
“I was protecting him.”
“You were protecting a lie.”
“I was protecting this family from becoming a joke.”
Cesare almost laughed.
There it was.
Image.
Reputation.
Seats at tables.
Who looked strong.
Who appeared weak.
Diane had spent decades organizing the external face of the Lombardi family.
Eventually she began treating human beings like parts of the arrangement.
Move Avice.
Position Vanessa.
Protect Julian.
Silence embarrassment.
Cesare finally understood his sister’s logic.
Understanding did not excuse it.
Then Diane said something unexpected.
“You still don’t know what Ethan was going to lose.”
Cesare stopped.
“What?”
Silence.
Diane realized too late that she had said too much.
Cesare repeated the question.
Diane disconnected.
The security contract was worth money.
May you like
But apparently rejection meant something more than lost profit.
And Diane knew exactly what it was.
