Chapter 14
The final family meeting happened without a gala.
No tuxedos.
No gowns.
No donors.
Cesare invited Diane and Julian to his house on a Sunday afternoon.
Ethan was not invited.
Vanessa was no longer part of the family.
Avice stayed upstairs with a babysitter.
Cesare wanted no child sitting in the room while adults justified themselves.
Diane arrived first.
Julian came ten minutes later.
Cesare placed the fake pregnancy belly on the table.
He had kept it in a sealed museum storage bag.
Diane stared at it.
“What is the point of this?”
“The point is that this controlled five months of our lives.”
Julian looked at the table.
Cesare continued.
“Vanessa lied because she wanted Julian.”
“Ethan protected the lie because he wanted the contract.”
“Diane protected it because Ethan owed her money and because she decided embarrassment was more dangerous than deception.”
Then he looked at Julian.
“And Julian protected it because he was afraid of looking foolish.”
Nobody argued.
That was new.
Diane finally spoke.
“I did what I thought was necessary.”
Cesare shook his head.
“No. You did what was convenient.”
Her face hardened.
“You think you are innocent?”
“No.”
That stopped her.
“I hit Ethan. I hit you. I built a family where everyone thought difficult problems should disappear behind closed doors.”
Cesare looked at Julian.
“And my son learned it.”
Julian nodded.
Diane's eyes filled despite herself.
“What do you want from me?”
“Nothing.”
She looked surprised.
Cesare continued.
“I am not asking you to apologize so I can decide whether to forgive you.”
“Then why am I here?”
“So there is no confusion.”
He removed Diane from every remaining Lombardi Foundation role.
She would repay the museum for the prosthetics and unrelated personal expenses discovered during the review.
She would have no unsupervised contact with Avice unless Julian later decided otherwise.
Ethan would have no business relationship with the museum.
Julian would return to foundation work only when the independent board determined it was appropriate.
Diane stared at Cesare.
“You are choosing that child over your own sister.”
Cesare’s expression did not change.
“There is no choice.”
Diane looked toward the stairs.
For a moment, everyone remembered the gala.
A three-year-old girl lowering herself into a chair.
A hand yanking it away.
That seat is for family.
Not begging.
Cesare opened the front door.
May you like
“My granddaughter never had to beg for that seat.”
Diane left without another word.
