Jade Cabral strides into the 21st century as a golden guy. Brilliant and beautiful, with a California cool and a Harvard education, he is poised for wealth and success in New York’s Financial District.<br><br>But Jade harbors a secret flaw, a thirst for revenge against Se?or Rodriguez, the California landowner who deprived his father – Se?or’s out-of-wedlock son, John Virgil -- of his family’s rightful inheritance and place in the world. Jade thinks if he succeeds in New York, he can make up for every loss and humiliation his family has endured at the hands of Se?or. That searing quest leads him into the arms of Nan Spencer, a lovely, fragile socialite, and to the top of the financial world, the Twin Towers, on September 11, 2001.

Seamless Sky

“Jade, I want to tell you something, and I want you to remember this always: Your father is a wonderful man, the finest there is. But even good people have weaknesses, maybe more than bad people, because they see only good in others, and so they’re more likely to be used and hurt. Your daddy is waiting for Se?or to love him and acknowledge him as his son and heir. Believe me, Jade, we’ll see the second coming of Jesus before we see that mean-spirited, miserly son of a b-gun welcome us into his home.”


“But it could happen, Mama, couldn’t it? You said anything’s possible if you work hard and believe in yourself.”


Isa paused. She wanted to tell her beloved firstborn that sometimes even noble sentiments were nothing but a bunch of greeting-card crap. But she could see he had already figured that out. A smart cookie, this one. And deep, too. He’ll never let on how deep. And that will cost him.


Chapter 7