His other son, Randall, was a good boy who had grown up to be a good man. A boy born with so much luck and talent, Brandon had an almost supernatural charisma. During his too-brief life, Brandon Scope touched people. He knew that many donated to curry his favor. Griffin had started the fund with a one-hundred million-dollar contribution.
Tonight's gala celebrated the cause most dear to Griffin Scope's heart: the Brandon Scope Memorial Charity, named for Griffin's murdered son. Some even worked for him, though he tried to make it a point to never be their day-to-day boss. Many of tonight's guests were from those Newark days. Loyalty was a rare quality when Griffin found it, he made sure to reward it. His best friends from those high school days were still his friends fifty years later. It was working class, blue collar - tough rather than dangerous. Newark's east side wasn't a bad neighborhood back then - not like now, when a sane person would barely want to drive through it. His father had offices there, thus setting up a fake residence was no problem. His father insisted that Griffin not only attend public school but that he do so in the closest major city, Newark. Griffin, for example, did not attend a prestigious prep school like Exeter or Lawrenceville, as so many of his peers did. A lot of that had to do with their upbringing. Most family empires fall apart before the third generation. His grandfather was an early industrialist his father improved the fortune Griffin multiplied it several fold.
But the first word - in the papers, on television, on people's lists - was always the B word. They might comment on his personality or his family tree or his work ethic. After that, they might call him businessman or power broker or mention that he was tall or a husband or a grandfather or that he was seventy years old. People always used the same word to describe Griffin Scope: billionaire. Griffin Scope moved serpentine through the black tuxedos and shimmering gowns. A harp underscored the subdued pitch of the party chatter. Champagne flutes tinkled in harmony with the Mozart sonata.
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