Chapter 0778
+25 BONUS
A week had passed since Marcus returned to Valentia. Valerie had gone back to her home in Westhaven–she couldn’t wait any longer to see her little ones. But Marcus thought it was best not to bring the children back until after the trial. Throughout the week, they had several video calls, and that was how she got to see Camille, little Albert, and Caroline.
Her beautiful babies had black, slightly wavy hair. Their eyes were just like Marcus’s, though most of their facial features resembled Valerie. They were gorgeous–chubby and adorable.
The trial was scheduled for a Monday in the second week of September. Before that, Anthony Moriarty had requested to speak with Marcus. The plan was to finally tell him the truth about who he really was, since, from what Anthony had observed, Marcus had no idea. He didn’t blame him–Anthony had been only eight years old the last time he saw him, and as for his father, he had only ever seen him in a photograph from his teenage years.
On Saturday, Anthony called Marcus and asked to meet at his house alone. He didn’t want to make Marcus’s wife uncomfortable, given that the conversation would involve Marcus Bartz’s first wife.
With no real choice, Marcus left Valerie at home and went to the meeting. He had already received à summons as a protected witness, as had Peter Palmer, which meant they would be facing each other in court once again.
Marcus arrived at the Moriarty family home–essentially, Vincent Moriarty’s house. As soon as he got there, the staff had orders to let him in and take him to the study, where Anthony and Vincent were waiting for him.
Standing in front of the elegant door, Marcus knocked twice and heard-
“Come in, Marcus! Go ahead!”
Marcus opened the door and was surprised to see Vincent, Anthony’s father, in the study. This was supposed to be a private meeting, given that they would be discussing matters related to the upcoming trial.
“Anthony…” Marcus said, surprised and slightly annoyed.
“Come in, come in, Marcus!” Vincent gestured toward a chair. “Would you like something to drink?”
“Sorry, but this isn’t a social visit. I’m here to finalize details for the trial.”
“I know, I know! But I think you could use a drink. What’ll you have?” Vincent said, pouring a glass of whiskey for
his son.
Marcus watched as the man handed the drink to Anthony and poured one for himself. With a sigh, Marcus relented.
“Fine. I’ll have the same.”
“Good. One moment. Neat or on the rocks?”
“Neat,” Marcus replied without hesitation.
“That’s funny… I remember Valentina used to say the same thing,” Vincent said, unfazed.
Vincent had decided it was finally time to talk, and Marcus was there for exactly that.
“What did you just say?” Marcus responded, doubt in his voice.
It had been years since he last heard the name of his first wife. How the hell did this man know about her and her preferences?
“How do you know about my wife? Anthony! Just how deep did you dig into my past for this?”
Anthony was reviewing some documents while Vincent spoke with Marcus. He didn’t like Marcus’s tone, so he
1/2
put the papers down and said,
+25 BONUS
“Marcus, you need to show more respect to my father. Thanks to him, you’re where you are now. Frank is in prison, and in two days, his fate will be decided. We’re clearing your name and your family’s. My father is one of the key players in making this happen, and I won’t allow you to speak to him that way.”
“Relax!” Vincent interrupted. “I think it’s time we stop beating around the bush and tell him the truth.” He handed Marcus his drink.
Marcus took the glass and watched as Vincent sat down. The older man looked at him and began to speak.
“Thirty years ago, I was a completely different man from the one you see here. Back then, I was thirty–eight. Despite my age, I was still an immature idiot. My father did what he could to control my recklessness, but he was an absent parent. Looking back, I was a real piece of shit.
“My little boy spent more time with his grandfather than with me. You probably saw him a few times when my father visited your grandfather. My father had great respect for your grandfather, Peter. The truth is, I never set foot in your parents‘ house, but my son–sitting here now admired you. I overheard him talking to my father about you several times. To be honest, he envied you. You were a successful man.
“I, on the other hand, was just the spoiled son wasting my father’s money. He was already old and wanted to retire, but with only me and my sister as his heirs, he wanted to leave everything to you. He didn’t trust me. He believed that if I took over Stephenson Group, I would run it into the ground.”
