Chapter 19 - Jason’s Desperate Gamble
Arthur stood motionless, his pride broken, but Jason’s eyes darted frantically around the room. Desperation had pushed him past reason. He stared at the silver signet ring on the coffee table, then looked at Emily’s custom diamond ring, and finally up the grand staircase where Marcus lay sleeping.
"No," Jason whispered, stepping toward the table. "No, this isn't happening. You don't get to win, Brian! You were always the loser! You were the one who worked fifty hours a week at a call center while I went to London on Dad's card! You think because you married some rich girl and found some old man that you can wipe me out?!"
Before Frank could react, Jason lunged toward the coffee table, his hands snatching at the master trust documents Julian had laid out. "These papers are mine! If Vanguard doesn't get these securities by tomorrow morning, I'm going to federal prison! You can't let them arrest me, Amanda! Tell him!"
"Jason, stop!" Amanda screamed, lunging forward to grab her son's coat.
Frank moved with the speed of an elite operative. In one fluid motion, he caught Jason’s arm, twisted it behind his back, and slammed him chest-first against the heavy oak table. The sound of Jason’s breath being forced out echoed through the room.
"Drop the papers," Frank said calmly, applying just enough pressure to Jason’s wrist to bring a high-pitched shriek of agony from the golden boy’s lips.
The documents fluttered from Jason’s fingers, drifting harmlessly onto the carpet.
"Call the sheriff," Emily said without looking at Jason. She was already dialing her direct line on her mobile. "Tell them we have a trespasser who has attempted grand larceny on private property."
"No! Please! Brian, don't!" Amanda fell to her knees before me, grabbing the hem of my trousers, tears streaming down her carefully painted face, destroying every trace of her aristocratic dignity. "He’s your brother! Whatever Arthur did, Jason is your brother! Have mercy on him! If he goes to prison, he'll die in there!"
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I looked down at the woman who had birthed me, who had lied about my death to the man who loved her, who had watched Arthur humiliate me for three decades without ever uttering a single word of defense.
"He stopped being my brother," I said slowly, gently pulling my leg away from her grasp, "the moment he laughed at my wife and child across your dinner table and called my life a failure."
