Alone in my office with the privacy screen up all around me, I bury my head in my knees. Dr. Wild is a monster. He looks like a respectable and well-meaning man, but in reality he’s manipulative and narcissistic. I can see how much he loves inflicting pain on Gatsby about Isabel all these years later. I saw how he loved throwing it in his face. He wasn’t sorry one bit. In fact, all of these years later, he seems to be almost proud of it. He doesn’t care that Gatsby lost someone so close to him without an explanation, without a goodbye. In fact, it’s as if he almost enjoys it.

How can there be people like this in the world? I’ve seen them on the news, but I never thought that I would end up face to face with one. Oh, how I hate the sight of Dr. Wild. I hate the sound of his voice. I hate the contempt that he has for Gatsby. All of his children really.

I feel the button below my desk. If I click on it, then I will hear everything that’s going on in Gatsby’s office. I’d be a spy. I shouldn’t do it. It’s wrong. I know that, but I can’t stop myself. Gatsby needs help. It’s not that he’s not strong enough to stand up to his father. He just needs reinforcements. I could be that for him.

“…the IPO still has to go through,” Dr. Wild says. His voice is rushed and urgent. He’s no longer calm and mocking the way that he was with Gatsby earlier.

“Shareholders and the board can’t be alerted. What are you thinking, Gatsby?!” Dr. Wild’s voice booms, and I would probably hear even if I weren’t spying.

But Gatsby remains calm and collected.

“But if we don’t alert them, then it’s fraud. And I’m part of it,” Gatsby says calmly.

“So what?”

“So what, father? Are you really asking me that? I’m the fuckin’ CEO. I’m not bending over for Atticus, especially since he’s doing all this behind my back. Besides, this is all your fault anyway.”

“My fault?” Dr. Wild shouts.

“Yes, if you hadn’t put all of his money in a trust, then none of this would be happening. But you were so worried about him spending it all that you left him with barely anything!”

“Oh, poor, poor Atticus. I will not apologize for trying to protect Atticus’ money despite his best efforts to squander it all.”

“Yes, I know.” Gatsby laughs. Now it’s his turn to be mocking. “You will not apologize for anything you do wrong. Your gigantic ego won’t let you.”

“You better think long and hard about this, Gatsby,” Dr. Wild says. His voice is getting smaller with each word – he must be heading for the door. “You may be implicated in this either way. So you best think about this decision and make sure you’re making the right one.”

“The right one? And what kind of decision would that be? The one that protects the family above all else?”

“Yes!” Dr. Wild roars and leaves the room.

I resist the urge to walk over to Gatsby and wrap my arms around him. He is stewing, an unsettling mix of anger and detachment is on his face. I give him space. An hour later, we finally talk.

“I just hate him so much, Annabelle. You don’t even know. He’s such a pitiful and manipulative person. He has been that way all my life.”

I nod. I put my hand on his shoulder, but he brushes me away. Gatsby needs space to rant, and I give it to him.

“Despite the fact that he has always had a difficult relationship with Atticus, like he did with pretty much all of his kids, despite all that, he still wants me to protect him. Protect him despite me. I have no idea what kind of shit Atticus is in. He didn’t even ask me for him. I have no idea what I’m walking into.”

“You can’t.” I shake my head. “You can get into a lot of trouble for this. You’re the CEO. What would happen if the shareholders ever found it?”

“It would be fraud. Major fraud, if all of this is as bad as it appears to be. And knowing Atticus, it’s probably way worse.”

“Can you talk to him? Find out what’s going on? Tell him that you know.”

“I have to,” Gatsby says decidedly. “But it’s not just Atticus. He’s…he’s always been this way, really. It’s something to be expected. My father knows this, but he still wants me to protect him.”

“I think your father is just thinking about the family,” I try to explain. I realize that this was exactly the reason why Dr. Wild protected Gatsby after he shot his cousin.

“He cares about some abstract notion of family above all else. Did you know that Atticus almost killed my mom when he was born? All his childhood he has tried to please my parents, especially my dad, to no avail. Then when he grew up and realized that our father can’t be pleased, he started to get self-destructive. The thing that Atticus didn’t get was that what father hates most are people pleasers. And yet, that’s what he wants us all to be. At least, as far as he’s concerned.”