Chapter 18 - Noah Reads Marcus’s Last Letter
At twenty-four, Noah opened final sealed letter from Marcus that Rachel had kept for adulthood.
Noah,
If you ever enter Cole company because someone says it is your birthright, leave the room.
Noah laughed.
Marcus knew.
If you enter because you actually want the work, fine.
If you never enter, better.
Then:
Your grandfather Leonard will try to make money sound like family responsibility.
It isn’t.
Money is responsibility only in sense that choices affect people. It is not love.
Noah cried.
Then:
If my brother Ethan is still around, give him hell. He needs it.
Noah showed Ethan.
Ethan laughed through tears.
Then Marcus’s final:
Tell Mom I loved her even when I hated what she did.
Noah asked:
“Should I?”
Patricia was alive.
His choice.
He told.
Patricia cried for a long time.
Noah did not comfort automatically.
Then she said:
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
He had become bridge without being obligated.
Then he decided not to join Cole Meridian.
He became public-interest attorney? Could tie to family secrets. Let's say he became financial compliance attorney after studying law. That makes sense and is adult. He wanted systems where signatures mattered.
Ethan joked:
“Family made lawyer.”
Noah:
“Family made distrustful.”
Both laughed.
He later represented no Cole entities to avoid conflicts.
Independent.
May you like
Good.
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