Chapter 7
This time Rocco confronted both of them together.
Victoria and Marcus sat on opposite sides of his office.
He placed the medical request between them.
“Who needed Noah’s developmental records?”
Victoria looked at Marcus.
Marcus looked at the paper.
Rocco noticed the order.
“What were you trying to prove?”
Marcus answered.
“Nothing.”
“Wrong answer.”
“We were preparing for the possibility that Noah would need more support as he got older.”
“We?”
Marcus hesitated.
Victoria spoke.
“He told me the current trust wasn’t flexible enough.”
Rocco turned toward her.
“What else did he tell you?”
“That the bank could make decisions about Noah without me.”
“You aren’t his mother.”
Her face tightened.
“I was going to be.”
“You were going to ask.”
Victoria looked hurt.
Rocco did not soften.
Marcus interrupted.
“This is getting ridiculous. The kid has a disability. Planning around it is responsible.”
Rocco went completely still.
“Noah has hearing loss.”
“I know.”
“He is not mentally incapable.”
“I didn’t say he was.”
“You’ve been requesting developmental records.”
“For planning.”
“You’ve been proposing special trustee powers.”
“For planning.”
“You suggested Victoria adopt him.”
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
Rocco leaned forward.
“Everything becomes planning when you don’t want to explain the result.”
Victoria turned toward Marcus.
“What exactly were you changing?”
Marcus looked at her.
“You knew.”
“I knew about the adoption and the trust review.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
Victoria’s face changed.
“What were you doing with his medical records?”
Marcus did not answer.
For the first time since the reception, Rocco saw fear move from Victoria toward Marcus.
That mattered.
They were involved together.
But they were not equally informed.
Rocco looked at Victoria.
“What did Noah hear?”
She began crying.
“I don’t know all of it.”
“Tell me what you do know.”
Marcus stood.
“We’re done.”
Rocco’s security men opened the office door.
May you like
Rocco never raised his voice.
“No. You are.”
