Chapter 5: The Clean Slate
Six months later.
The boardroom was dead silent as I reviewed the quarterly reports. I sat at the head of the long glass table, not in a soaked dress, but in a sharp, tailored navy suit.
"Profits are up thirty percent since the restructuring, Ms. Sterling," Arthur said, sliding a document across the table. "And the Morrison assets have been successfully liquidated and absorbed back into the parent company."
"Excellent work, Arthur," I smiled, signing the bottom line with a gold pen. "And their trial?"
"Plead guilty. Brendan got eight years; Diane got five. They'll be wearing orange for a very long time."
I nodded, satisfied, and stood up. The meeting was adjourned. I didn't linger to chat. I had somewhere much more important to be.
I took the private elevator down to the executive parking garage, slipping into the back of my town car. When I arrived home, my nanny was rocking a beautiful, healthy baby girl in the nursery.
I took my daughter into my arms, inhaling that sweet, powdery baby scent. She had my eyes, my resilience, and zero ties to the toxic people who once tried to break me.
She would grow up knowing her worth. She would grow up owning her own empire. And she would never, ever have to apologize for who she was.
May you like
I looked out the window at the city I owned, holding the only thing that truly mattered to me.
Protocol 7 was closed. A new era had begun.
