Scandal
Maverick remained silent as he listened, absorbing his uncle's words. He had always wondered why Lawrence seemed to shy away from the business side of things and why Edgar carried so much resentment.
Now, it all made a strange kind of sense. Lawrence had chosen family over fortune, in the only way he knew how.
The room grew quiet, the ticking of the clock the only sound cutting through the stillness.
Lawrence, now lost in thought, didn't seem to expect any response from Maverick. He simply stared at the portrait, perhaps silently asking for his late brother's approval.
Maverick's voice, when it finally came, was low but firm. "Thank you for choosing me."
Lawrence's lips quivered, his eyes welling up when Maverick thanked him for choosing him over wealth. "Oh, Maverick," Lawrence said, his voice breaking as he stood up, ready to embrace his nephew for consolation.