Marcus’s mother audibly gasped. Several phones came out. People were recording.
“I mean, it’s admirable, really,” Victoria’s tone suggested it was anything but. “Rachel found a simple man with simple dreams and decided that was enough. But Emma, you were raised to want more, weren’t you? Even if your environment didn’t always encourage it.”
David’s brother started to stand, but his wife pulled him down.
“When I see David,” Victoria continued, now fully performing, “I see an honest, hard-working man, salt of the earth, as they say, the kind of person who keeps America fed. Important work. Truly, someone has to do it.”
The condescension dripped like honey from a knife.
“But Emma, sweetie, you have options. Real options. You don’t have to limit yourself to farmers markets and fruit stands. You could live in a real city, work in a real office, make real money.”
Emma’s face had gone from red to white. Marcus held her hand tightly.
“So, here’s my gift.”
Victoria started to open the envelope. Tyler practically shouted into his own microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m so sorry to interrupt, but we have a special announcement.”
The room erupted in uncomfortable whispers. Two hundred guests suddenly found their plates, their phones, or the ceiling fascinating—anywhere but the train wreck unfolding at the head table.
At the Northwestern alumni table, my former classmates exchanged knowing looks. Dr. Patricia Chen, now a Fortune 500 CFO, shook her head slowly. She’d tried to hire me three times over the years, and I’d turned her down each time. I wondered if she finally understood why I’d been reluctant to enter that world.
“Is she drunk?” I heard someone whisper.
“This is so inappropriate,” came another voice.
“Poor Emma!”
My cousin Linda was already typing furiously on her phone, probably updating the family group chat that Victoria had removed herself from years ago, claiming she was too busy for constant notifications.
But Victoria seemed oblivious to the shifting mood. Or maybe she fed on it.
“Don’t look so shocked, everyone. Sometimes truth needs to be spoken, even at celebrations. Especially at celebrations. How else will Emma know she can escape this?”
“That’s enough.”
David’s father, William, stood up. At 75, he still commanded a room.
“Young lady, you’re disrespecting my family.”
Victoria laughed.
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