Chapter 5 - GIDEON
Gideon was not an idiot.
That made his participation harder to excuse.
He had a law degree.
Worked in commercial insurance.
Divorced.
No children.
Good at board meetings.
Bad at deciding whether his mother’s approval was worth the price.
Lenora had told him since childhood:
“Dominic will inherit responsibility. You will preserve continuity.”
What did that mean?
Nothing legally precise.
Everything emotionally.
My grandfather had two sons.
My father.
Gideon’s father.
Gideon’s father died young.
My father became family-company chairman.
I became his successor in the business.
Gideon built a separate career.
But Lenora maintained a private score.
Who carried the surname.
Who had sons.
Who had children at all.
When Caroline and I struggled with fertility, Lenora said things like:
“At least Gideon can continue the line.”
He had no children either.
When we adopted Elsie, she became quieter.
Then:
“She’s lovely.”
Not:
She’s family.
I noticed.
May you like
Ignored it.
That was another mistake.
