Chapter 7 - The True HeirWithin twenty minutes, the Grand Horizon Ballroom was entirely empty of my family. Only Arthur, his legal team, the hotel executives, and I remained.
Arthur walked over to me, offering a clean, soft white handkerchief. I gently wiped away the faint trace of blood still lingering on my earlobe.
"You handled that with remarkable poise, Elena," Arthur said, a warm, grandfatherly smile finally breaking through his stern exterior. "Your grandfather would have been profoundly proud of you. He always knew Richard was a snake, but he wanted to give him enough rope to hang himself."
"It took twenty-five years," I murmured, looking out the massive glass windows where the rain had finally stopped, leaving the city skyline sparkling under the midnight stars. "But the debt has been settled."
"More than settled," Arthur said, handing me a sleek, heavy leather folder containing the final, unassailable master deeds. "The board of Reed-Hart Enterprises has already convened via emergency teleconference. They unanimously voted to appoint you as the active Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Your office at the penthouse is already prepared."
I took the folder, feeling the substantial weight of true power in my hands. No longer the invisible, overworked daughter whose achievements were minimized to prop up a golden sibling. No longer the victim of conditional affection.
"Thank you, Arthur," I said sincerely.
May you like
"Don't thank me, child. Thank your mother’s arrogance. If she had possessed an ounce of humility, she might have kept up the charade for another decade. But greed always exposes the wolf under the sheep's wool."
With a final nod, Arthur and his team gathered their briefcases and left me alone in the vast, silent ballroom.
