Chapter 2
The silence in the hallway grew suffocating as Arthur’s fingers brushed against the first crumpled green paper ball. Every eye in the corridor was fixed on the powerful executive kneeling on the floor, picking up trash like a chastised schoolboy. Julian did not move an inch, his posture rigidly upright, leaning heavily on the silver-handled cane that had once been used to strike architectural drafting tables across the globe. The smartphones clicked softly, capturing the precise moment Arthur’s carefully curated armor cracked.
Arthur stood up slowly, clutching the messy pile of green paper against his chest as if it were a shield. His breathing was shallow, his heart hammering against his ribs. He turned to face his father, expecting a lecture, a sarcastic remark, or a subtle reminder of all the times Arthur had fallen short of the Vance family standard. Instead, Julian simply turned his back and walked toward the exit doors, gesturing with his head for Arthur to follow him outside into the courtyard where Leo stood waiting in the cold drizzle.
Stepping through the glass doors, Arthur felt the biting chill of the autumn rain instantly soak through his hair and ruin the expensive tailoring of his suit. Leo was huddled near a stone pillar, his thin jacket soaked through, clutching his empty hands to his chest. The green folder was gone, trampled inside, but the boy’s eyes were entirely dry. There were no tears, no childish tantrums—just a quiet, devastating disappointment that cut deeper than any scream could have.
"Get in the car, Leo," Arthur said, his voice cracking slightly as he tried to mask his internal panic with his usual stern cadence.
Leo didn’t move immediately. He looked at his grandfather, then at his father, searching for a trace of humanity beneath the corporate veneer. Julian placed a weathered hand gently on the boy’s small shoulder, an affectionate gesture he had rarely, if ever, bestowed upon Arthur. "Go sit in the back seat, son. Your father and I need to talk," the old man instructed softly.
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As Leo hurried away, his sneakers splashing in the puddles, Arthur braced himself for the reprimand. But Julian didn't yell. He merely stared out toward the wrought-iron gates of the academy, where the yellow school buses were lining up to take the other children home.
"You didn't just ruin his assembly, Arthur," Julian said quietly, his breath forming small clouds in the chilly air. "You tried to erase him, just like you’ve been trying to erase yourself for the last twenty years."
