Chapter 18 - The Final Settlement
Two days later, I met with Eleanor’s legal team in a private conference room at the state prosecutor's office.
Eleanor sat at the table, her hands trembling as she signed the final settlement documents. Under the terms of the agreement, she surrendered every single asset she owned—her house, her cars, her jewelry, and her bank accounts—to pay for the restitution owed to my father's estate and the Sterling foundation.
When she finished signing, she pushed the pen away and looked up at me with eyes full of bitter regret.
"You took everything, Victoria," Eleanor whispered, her voice cracking. "You left me with nothing. I have no money, no home, and my son is in prison."
"You had twenty-five years to treat me like a daughter, Eleanor," I said, gathering the signed papers. "You were paid six hundred thousand dollars a year to give me a life. Instead, you gave me cruelty, neglect, and abuse. You reaped exactly what you sowed."
"Where am I supposed to go when I get out?" she whimpered, tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks. "I'm fifty-eight years old! I have nowhere to go!"
"That is no longer my concern," I said coldly.
I stood up, buttoned my jacket, and turned toward the door.
May you like
"Goodbye, Eleanor."
I walked out of the room without looking back, leaving the woman who had terrorized my childhood alone in the quiet darkness of her consequences.
