Page 74 of Maximum
“Thank you, Jolene.” Atlas dipped his chin.
“But when did he start the Red Manor Cult?” Serena asked.
“We’ll get to that part. First, I want to mention that Conor never got his degree in political science even though he later claimed that he did.”
Charles frowned. “I shouldn’t be surprised, but Conor told me that he graduated as a first.”
“What’s that?” Serena asked.
“Same as graduating with honors in the US,” Atlas explained. “He probably would have if he hadn’t gotten in trouble with the law. Instead, he changed his name and invented a fake persona that was well liked and influential with the people he came into contact with. Conor would tell people he was the only son of a French aristocrat who died when he was little and left him with a fortune. He dined and wined in London as if money were unlimited and he was naturally drawn to wealthy people.”
“But where did he get the money to live that sort of lifestyle?” Fleur asked.
“From what I can gather it was a combination of overdrawn credit cards, sketchy dealings with criminals, and rich girl friends who kept him afloat, but either way, during that time he perfected his people skills and built connections.”
“When did he become Conor O’Brien?”
“Shortly after his twenty-first birthday, the police were catching up with Conor once again and that’s why he moved to Belfast and changed his name from Christopher to Conor O’Brien. It’s around that time that he met Ciara. She was a young nurturing and loving woman who he could easily control with his silver tongue. He moved into her small apartment and less than a year later, I was born.” A picture of Atlas as a baby appeared.
“From then on, things escalated quickly and what we know from Ciara’s sisters is that around the time I was two Conor broke up with Ciara and moved to Dublin. But Ciara wasn’t willing to let go of him because she realized that she was pregnant again. Conor let her stay at his apartment and by the time he was twenty-six, he’d bought the Red Manor, which was a run-down place at the time. He’d also gotten better at deception and instead of identity theft he started his charity project and collected money for children in Africa and Asia—money that, for the most part, went into the restoration of the manor and thereby straight to himself as the owner. Over the years he accumulated a fortune that he didn’t tell anyone about.”
“But why did people fall for it?” Serena asked.
We all looked to Charles, who crossed and uncrossed his arms before he spoke. “Because we didn’t know about any of this.” He waved a hand toward the screen. “I can only speak for myself, but I was introduced to him and made to believe that anyone lucky enough to get Conor’s attention was special. Who doesn’t want to feel special? The first time I met Conor I was blown away by his presence. It’s almost intoxicating to meet someone who shows such a genuine interest in you.”
I snorted. “There was nothinggenuineabout my father. He always had an ulterior motive.”
“You’re right. But he was charismatic and an expert at making me feel seen and accepted,” Charles elaborated.
Fleur raised a hand. “I’d like to ask a question. I’ve read up on the Red Manor Cult and I know about the people Conor killed and the money he stole, but I wonder if he did anything good?”
Silence fell upon the room.
“Well,” Jolene said after a while. “He fathered your boyfriend and my husband, so there’s that.”
Fleur kissed my cheek. “For that I’m grateful.”
“I don’t want to justify the horrible things that Conor did,” Charles began, “But if not for him I probably wouldn’t have been married to Liv now. The months I spent in the Red Manor were some of the happiest in my life. Ignorance is bliss, you know.”
“What about yer schoolin’?” Damian asked Lumi. “Obviously, I’d like to shoot the focker a thousand times for takin’ yer mum away. But all ye kids from the cult are wicked smart and academically brilliant and that has to count as a good thing, right?”
Lumi frowned. “It wasn’t just because of him. The people who lived at the manor were all gifted in some area and Conor made them teach us. We were taught by writers, actors, philosophers, astrophysicists, bankers, barristers, and what have you.”
Nathan pushed up from the floor. “Excuse me, but I refuse to take part in a love fest for the man who killed my mother, only to kidnap and torment me.”
Liv took a step forward and placed her hands on his shoulders. “This isn’t about praising him, Nathan. This is about getting a clear perspective. For all the horrible things he did to you, the Red Manor Cult is also what brought us together as a family.” She looked down. “I understand that no one can ever replace your mother, but I hope you know that we all love you.”
Nathan’s voice was heavy with emotion when he spoke. “I get that and I’m grateful, but Conor O’Brien was a disgusting human being and no matter how many schools he built in Africa or how much he paced us academically, it will never make up for the pain he caused.”
There was another long moment of silence and then Jolene’s voice filled the room, soft and steady. “You’ve all been damaged from the cult, but what I find fascinating is that your issues are so different. Lumi had major trust issues, River was scared of intimacy, Nathan gets triggered by injustice toward women and is allergic to gaslighting.” She turned to me. “You have self-esteem issues.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Why do you say that?”
She angled her head. “Because you told me about your problems with jealousy. You don’t think you’re enough.”
“Jolene, maybe now isn’t the time to bring all that up,” Atlas said.
“That’s a little late now, since Jolene just laid out all our insecurities,” I said and stared at my brother. “But now that we’re at it, why don’t you tell us how growing up in a cult affected you?”
