Chapter 410

Chapter 410:

Alexander moved to the window, looking out at the manicured gardens. His shoulders were tense under his tailored suit.

“Would you like something to drink?” Edward asked, moving to a sideboard where crystal decanters gleamed in the firelight.

“No,” Alexander turned to face his parents. “I didn’t come here to pretend this is a social visit.”

Edward’s hand paused above a decanter. Eleanor sank into a chair, her eyes never leaving her son’s face.

“No,” she agreed. “You came because we have things that need saying. Things that are years overdue.”

Camille stood quietly by the door, giving Alexander space while remaining close enough for support. This was his battle, his pain to navigate.

Edward moved away from the drinks, standing behind his wife’s chair. “Son, we know words aren’t enough. What we did was unforgivable.”

“Yet here you are, asking for forgiveness,” Alexander said coldly.

“Not asking,” Eleanor corrected. “Not expecting. Just… hoping. Someday.”

Alexander laughed, a harsh sound that filled the quiet room. “Seven years of silence, then four years of letters and calls I never answered. And now you hope?”

“We were wrong,” Edward said, his voice cracking slightly. “We chose to believe what was easier, not what was true. We failed you as parents.”

“Yes,” Alexander agreed. “You did.”

He moved away from the window, walking the perimeter of the room. He stopped at a shelf, touching a small bronze sailing trophy tucked between books.

“You still have this?” he said, surprise softening his voice momentarily.

“I’ve kept everything,” Eleanor said. “Your trophies, your school reports, newspaper clippings about your company…”

“Does that make you feel better?” Alexander’s hardness returned. “Collecting mementos of the son you threw away?”

Edward flinched. “We deserve that. And worse.”

“Yes,” Alexander agreed again. “You do.”

He picked up the trophy, studying it as if it belonged to someone else. “Do you know what I’ve accomplished since I walked out of this house? Since you chose James over me?” Neither parent answered.

“I built Pierce Enterprises from nothing. No family connections, no Pierce money—just my own intelligence and determination.” Alexander’s voice grew stronger. “I became a trillionaire without a single call or message of support from either of you.”

Eleanor’s eyes filled with tears. “We tried to reach out after James died. All those calls, those letters…”

“Too late,” Alexander cut in. “Four years too late. After James wrapped his car around a tree, drunk again, just like the night of our accident. After he died.” He set the trophy down harder than necessary. “After he was gone, and I was all you had left.”

.

.

.