Chapter 6 - Ryan’s Reckoning
Two days after the confrontation at the club, Ryan showed up at my apartment.
He didn't come with demands or anger. He came alone, carrying a cardboard box containing the few items he had managed to retrieve from Brooke's apartment.
I let him stand in the doorway.
"I signed the promissory note for my share," Ryan said quietly, handing me a signed copy of the document David Sterling had drafted. "Four thousand five hundred dollars. I sold my golf clubs and my watch. The transfer will hit your account tomorrow morning."
I looked at the document, verifying his signature and the notary stamp. "Thank you, Ryan."
He stood there, rubbing his neck, looking down at his sneakers. "Brooke won't take my calls, Vic. Her dad told me if I come near their house, he’ll call the police."
"You lied to her about how you bought her ring, Ryan," I said softly. "You built a relationship on my money and your father’s lies. Brooke is a smart woman. She realized she couldn't trust you."
"I thought... I thought that's just how things worked," Ryan admitted, his voice cracking. "Dad always made it seem like as long as we looked successful, the details didn't matter. He told me that men take care of business behind the scenes, even if it means bending the rules."
"Bending the rules is just a rich word for stealing, Ryan," I said. "You're thirty years old. It's time you learned the difference."
Ryan swallowed hard and nodded. "I got an apartment in Arlington. Small place. One bedroom. I’m taking on extra consulting hours to pay off the rest of my debts."
He looked up at me, his eyes filled with a strange mixture of regret and respect. "I’m sorry, Vic. For everything. For the comments at breakfast. For taking your money. You were the only one in that house who actually earned what you had."
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"I appreciate you saying that, Ryan," I replied, keeping my posture calm. "I hope you stick to the plan. For your own sake."
He turned and walked down the hallway, taking his first real steps toward accountability.
