He’d thought if he acted like he was better than everyone else, no one would ever remember where he came from. No one would ever know he was just a poor kid from the trailer park who’d gotten lucky.
His phone buzzed on the coffee table, his girlfriend Chloe’s face lighting up the screen. He grabbed it, relief flooding him. She’d be able to calm him down, she’d know what to do.
“Hey, baby,” he said, his voice rough.
“Are you kidding me, Julian?” Chloe’s voice was ice cold. “I just saw the preview for that Channel 7 special tomorrow night. You’re on there calling a guy in flannel trash? Do you know how embarrassing this is for me? My dad is a client of Platinum Estates. All his friends are talking about it. I’m not dating a racist, classist loser. We’re done. I’m coming by tomorrow to pick up my stuff. Don’t be here.”
She hung up before he could say a word. Julian stared at his phone, his mouth hanging open, before he threw it across the room, it shattering against the wall.
A second later, his mom called. He hesitated for a second before answering, his voice tight. “Mom, not now, okay?”
“Julian Carter Reed,” his mom said, her voice shaking with anger. “I just saw that preview too. You know who wears flannel and work boots every day? Your father. He worked 30 years in construction to pay for your school, to give you a better life, and you’re out there mocking men just like him? You think you’re better than him? You think you’re better than the people who raised you? I am so ashamed of you right now. Your dad hasn’t stopped crying since he saw it. Don’t call us until you’ve figured out how to be a decent human being.”
She hung up. Julian sat there on the couch, the scotch glass slipping out of his hand and shattering on the marble floor, and he cried. He cried for his dad, who’d worked his whole life to give him everything, and he’d thrown it all back in his face. He cried for the kid he used to be, who’d promised himself he’d never be the kind of person who made other people feel small for being poor. He cried because he’d ruined his entire life in 10 minutes, all because he’d been too proud to be nice to a stranger.
The primetime special aired at 8 p.m. the next night. Marcus sat in the newsroom control room, watching the numbers roll in. 2 million viewers in the first 5 minutes. 5 million by the 15 minute mark. 10 million by the end of the hour.
PlatinumScandal was trending number 1 nationwide on Twitter within 20 minutes of the special starting. Thousands of people were tweeting their own stories of being discriminated against by Platinum Estates. A single mom from Austin shared that she’d been turned away from a $250k home 2 years earlier because she showed up in her nurse scrubs. A Latino veteran from Dallas said he’d been told a $400k home was already sold, even though he had a pre-approval letter for $700k. A disabled veteran from Houston said an agent had refused to even talk to him because he was in a wheelchair.
By 9 p.m., the state attorney general had announced a full investigation into Platinum Estates and all their locations across the state. By 10 p.m., 12 of their biggest clients had pulled their listings, saying they didn’t want to be associated with a company that discriminated against people. By 11 p.m., Carter Hale had released a public apology, but no one cared. The damage was done.
