Chapter 15 - The View from the TopOne year after the fateful banquet at The Plaza, Saraphina stood on the private terrace of her penthouse overlooking Central Park.
The autumn air was crisp and clear, the city lights twinkling like diamonds beneath the twilight sky.
Thaddius stepped out onto the terrace, holding a sleek silver tray with a single glass of sparkling water and a thin file folder.
"The quarterly earnings report is finalized, Madam President," Thaddius said, his voice filled with deep respect. "We have outperformed market projections by forty percent. The board has voted unanimously to establish the Saraphina Montgomery Foundation for Female Entrepreneurs, initialized with a $500 million endowment."
"Good," Saraphina replied, taking the glass. "And Caldwell?"
Thaddius checked his notes. "He is currently working as a mid-level manager for a small logistics firm in upstate New York, living in a rented studio apartment. His mother lives with him. They spend most of their time arguing."
Saraphina looked down at the sparkling expanse of Manhattan below her.
There was no anger left in her heart, no lingering bitterness, and no regret. She had given ten years of her life to a man who had proved unworthy of her grace, but in tearing down his illusion, she had fully claimed her own destiny.
May you like
She set her glass down, pulled her coat tightly around her shoulders, and turned back toward the warm light of her study.
The door to her past was locked forever, and the empire she ruled was finally, entirely her own.
