Chapter 15 - THE EMPIRE REBORNThe gavel came down like the judgment of the gods.

Before Arthur’s high-priced lawyers could even step forward, two federal marshals in dark suits flanked the old man, their hands resting firmly on his shoulders. Arthur tried to stand up, his cane slipping from his trembling fingers and clattering loudly against the marble floor.

“Sebastian!” Arthur roared, his face turning a furious, mottled purple as he glared at his grandson. “You arrogant, ungrateful bastard! I made you! I built the ground you walk on!”

Sebastian didn't flinch. He didn't shout back. He simply stood tall, his arm wrapped firmly around my waist, his storm-gray eyes staring down at the man who had tried to destroy our lives.

“You didn't build an empire, Grandfather,” Sebastian said quietly, his voice echoing through the silent courtroom. “You built a prison. And today, the doors finally locked.”

As the marshals escorted Arthur away in handcuffs—the once-untouchable patriarch of New York real estate reduced to a broken old man in a gray suit—flashes from the press gallery exploded like lightning. The era of tyranny at Vale Tower was officially over.

Outside the courthouse, the steps were a sea of microphones, cameras, and screaming reporters.

“Mrs. Vale! Over here! What is your response to the asset restitution?”

“Mr. Vale! Are you returning as CEO of Vale Enterprises?”

I shielded my eyes from the glare of the flashbulbs, tightening my grip on Sebastian’s hand. He leaned down, whispering softly in my ear.

“Ready for our new life, Maya?”

I looked up at him, a radiant smile breaking across my face as I thought of our three beautiful children waiting for us back in Montauk.

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“Let’s go home, Sebastian,” I said.

And for the first time in four years, the word home didn't feel like a temporary shelter. It felt like forever.