The next morning, Victor arrived at the office at eight.
He wore no tuxedo.
He wore a simple gray suit.
He waited.
At eight-thirty, Marcus entered.
He wore the same leather jacket.
Victor stood.
"Marcus."
Marcus nodded.
"Mr. Hale."
"You can call me Victor."
"All right."
Marcus sat.
Victor sat across from him.
On the table was a folder.
Victor recognized the handwriting.
His old business partner's.
Marcus opened it.
"My father wrote this before he died."
Victor stared.
"Why did he give it to you?"
"He didn't."
Marcus looked at him.
"He gave it to my mother."
Victor's face changed.
"Your mother?"
"She gave it to me after his funeral."
Marcus placed the letter on the table.
Victor read it.
His hands trembled.
The letter said:
"Victor,
If you are reading this, then I am gone.
There is something you must remember.
The company was never supposed to belong to one man.
It was built by hundreds.
The cleaner who worked until midnight.
The cook who stayed late.
The waiter who remembered every guest.
The security guard who stood outside in the cold.
The accountant who prevented us from losing everything.
And the people who believed in us before anyone else did.
If you ever become so rich that you forget those people, you will have lost more than money can replace."
Victor stopped reading.
He looked at Marcus.
"Why didn't you show me this before?"
"Because I wanted to see who you were without it."
Victor nodded.
"I understand."
"No."
Marcus leaned forward.
"You don't."
Victor looked at him.
"What don't I understand?"
"You thought tonight was about money."
Victor didn't answer.
"It wasn't."
"Then what was it?"
"Character."
Marcus closed the folder.
"My father left me a company."
"He also left me a warning."
"What warning?"
"Never allow wealth to become an excuse for cruelty."
Victor looked down.
"I failed."
Marcus didn't answer.
Victor continued.
"I've been successful for so long that I forgot what failure feels like."
Marcus looked at him.
"Failure isn't what happened last night."
"What is?"
"Last night was a warning."
Victor nodded slowly.
"Can I fix it?"
Marcus thought.