CHAPTER 15: The New Foundation
One year later.
The marble mansion where I had once bled was completely demolished. In its place stood the Arthur Vale & Evelyn Laurent Foundation—a center dedicated to supporting victims of domestic abuse and corporate corruption.
I stood on the newly paved courtyard, watching as visitors and staff walked through the bright, sunlit glass doors.
My father walked up beside me, leaning slightly on an ivory-handled cane. He looked older now, retired from the high-stakes world of global finance, but his eyes were at peace.
“You built something real, Evelyn,” he said softly. “Something that belongs entirely to you.”
“No ghosts,” I said, smiling as I pulled my coat tight against the cool autumn breeze. “No secrets. Just a real foundation.”
My phone chimed in my pocket. I pulled it out.
It was an official notice from the State Department. The last remnants of the Apex Syndicate had been dismantled by international law enforcement, using the paper trail I had provided.
I put the phone back in my pocket and looked up at the sky.
May you like
The woman who had been brought to her knees on a cold marble floor was dead. In her place stood someone who didn't need a shadow to protect her, nor a king to give her a throne.
I turned and walked into the building, ready to lead.
