Chapter 4
The suspension lasted forty-eight hours before the family began fighting back.
Three cousins called Rocco.
An uncle accused him of punishing Victoria because she embarrassed Elliot.
A senior donor threatened to cancel a pledge if Preston remained excluded.
The museum depended heavily on relationships Preston had cultivated.
Removing him had consequences.
Rocco accepted them.
Then the outside review found something more troubling than furniture charged to the museum.
Preston had created a separate event company.
Ventresca Heritage Hospitality LLC.
The company contracted with the museum to host private dinners, luxury brand launches and closed family events.
Preston controlled it.
Victoria owned thirty percent.
The museum provided the building.
Their company collected management fees.
Some arrangements had board approval.
Others did not.
The proposed donor salon would dramatically expand that business.
Rocco understood the motivation immediately.
Celeste’s children’s gallery occupied valuable floor space.
Preston saw square footage.
Celeste had seen children.
Then Helen brought Rocco an old email.
It was from Victoria.
Three years earlier.
Before Celeste died.
The message complained that Celeste had blocked Victoria from becoming co-director of the museum.
Victoria wrote:
She has never considered me good enough to run anything that matters.
Rocco read it twice.
That explained some resentment.
He confronted Victoria.
She did not deny it.
“She pushed me out.”
“Celeste?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Before she got sick.”
Rocco frowned.
That did not sound right.
Celeste had trusted Victoria with charity dinners, educational events and donor relationships for years.
Victoria opened her phone.
She showed him a photographed memorandum.
At the bottom appeared Celeste’s initials.
Victoria is too personally involved with the family to have independent museum authority. Keep her limited to events.
Rocco stared at it.
He had never seen the memo.
“Who gave you this?”
Victoria hesitated.
“Preston.”
Rocco looked toward the closed conference-room door.
May you like
For the first time, Victoria’s resentment toward Celeste had a source.
And the source was her own brother.
