Chapter 8 - Rebirth
One year later.
The sun was setting over the Manhattan skyline, casting a golden glow through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Whitaker Industries boardroom.
I stood at the head of the long oak table.
I wasn't sitting.
I was leaning heavily on a sleek, silver cane, my left leg braced, but I was standing.
The board members—the loyal ones who had helped Evelyn execute the great purge—applauded softly as I took my place.
"Welcome back, Madam CEO," Evelyn said, smiling warmly.
"It’s... good... to be back," I said. My voice was still a bit slow, deliberately paced, but it was clear and commanding.
I looked out over the city. A city where the Ardell name had been wiped from every building. A city where Graham was just a forgotten inmate in a concrete cell.
They had tried to bury me in the darkest corner of their triumph. They had poured fire on my skin and called me a beggar.
But they forgot one fundamental rule of nature.
You should never play with fire around a woman who knows how to burn the whole world down.
I took my seat at the head of the table, setting my silver cane aside.
May you like
"Let's get to work," I said.
And for the first time in three years, I smiled. A real, genuine smile. The empire was mine again, and it was entirely untouchable.
