Chapter 17 - The Echoes of the PastWhile preparing for the gala, I decided to pack up the last remaining storage box of personal memorabilia stored in the corporate archives—items left behind from the early days of my marriage to Sebastian.
Inside the cardboard box lay an old photo album from our wedding eight years ago.
I flipped open the cover. There we were—young, optimistic, and entirely naive. Sebastian had looked at me with genuine adoration back then, before greed, insecurity, and ambition twisted him into a man who thought he could steal an empire from the woman who built it.
May you like
I closed the album and slid it into the recycling bin without a second thought.
Some memories were meant to be archived. Others were simply meant to be deleted.
Related Stories
Chapter 18 - The Red CarpetThe night of the Chicago Business Leadership Gala was a glittering affair held at the grand ballroom of the Drake Hotel.
Chapter 19 - Whispers in the WindA week after the gala, a brief, minor article appeared in the local Chicago Tribune's legal section.
Chapter 20 - The Unconquerable ArchitectYears later, when people asked me how I survived the greatest betrayal of my career, I never talked about the beaches of Florida, the crying mistress in the orange jumpsuit, or the disgraced husband behind federal bars.
