Chapter 10 - The Last LockLater that evening, long after the guests had departed and the ballroom had quieted down into a peaceful, amber-lit serenity, I stepped out onto the fourth-floor balcony of the newly completed plaza.
The cool night breeze swept in off the waterfront, carrying the scent of salt water, blooming jasmine, and fresh concrete. The city skyline sparkled beneath the stars—towers of glass and steel stretching proudly into the night sky, built on transparency, honesty, and an unbreakable will.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, heavy object.
It was the original keycard to the Sterling estate’s subterranean vault—the one Arthur had dropped on the marble floor the night his empire collapsed.
I looked at it for a long moment, watching the city lights reflect off its polished metallic surface.
Then, with a smooth, effortless motion, I tossed it over the balcony railing.
It fell through the dark air, tumbling through the night before disappearing into the deep, churning waters of the bay far below, swallowed up by the tide, never to be found again.
I turned back toward the warm, brightly lit interior of the building, my head held high, my posture absolute.
May you like
The doors of my life had once been locked to keep me trapped.
Now? They were wide open to a future that belonged entirely to us.
