Chapter 8 - Sunrise Over the EstateOne week later, the moving vans arrived at the Halston estate.
Not to deliver new luxury goods or expensive artwork, but to clear out the remnants of a man who had believed ownership was the same thing as power.
Lucinda had already moved into a modest two-bedroom condominium on the outskirts of the city, her pearl necklace sold to pay for her initial legal retainers. She had sent no letters, made no phone calls, and left no messages. Her silence was the final, unspoken acknowledgment that her reign over the family was dead.
I stood on the expansive stone patio overlooking the gardens as the morning sun broke through the clouds, painting the sky in brilliant shades of gold and amber.
The rain was gone. The air smelled of wet earth, blooming roses, and absolute freedom.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was an email notification from Adrian Hale at Stonebridge Private Bank, containing the final consolidated quarterly report for Sterling Biomedical Holdings.
I opened the document, scrolled past the clean, unblemished columns of numbers, and signed the digital approval with a single, steady keystroke.
Behind me, the glass doors of the library slid open. Serena Cole stepped out onto the patio, holding two fresh cups of coffee.
“The transition papers have been filed with the state registry,” Serena said, handing me a cup. “The estate is officially registered under the Natalie Sterling Foundation for Forensic Ethics.”
“Good,” I said, taking a sip of the warm, rich coffee. “Let’s put it to better use than it’s ever seen.”
Serena smiled, leaning against the stone balustrade and looking out over the sprawling green lawns.
“So, what’s the first item on the agenda for the new chairwoman?”
May you like
I looked down at the city skyline shimmering in the distance, knowing that somewhere out there, thousands of women were sitting in quiet kitchens, enduring shouting matches, hiding bruises, and waiting for someone to tell them they weren't alone.
“An audit,” I said softly. “Starting from the very top.”
