Chapter 10 - The New Legacy
Down in the courtyard, little Noah stopped running, picked up a smooth white pebble from the garden path, and ran back toward the terrace stairs. He bounded up the steps, his dark, wavy hair messy with sweat, holding out the pebble like a priceless treasure.
"Daddy! Look what I found!" he beamed, flashing that exact, unmistakable notch in his left eyebrow.
I knelt down, taking the small, smooth stone from his sticky little hand. "That's a magnificent rock, captain. Where are we going to put it?"
"Right on your desk so you never have to go to boring meetings again!" Noah declared proudly before darting back down the stairs to rejoin his brother in their endless games.
Evelyn laughed, a rich, musical sound that filled the morning air, and leaned her head against my shoulder as we watched them run.
The airport waiting room in Terminal 4 felt like a lifetime away. The cold marble floor, the scuffed blue suitcase, the terrifying threats of a ruthless matriarch—they were all part of a dark, distant chapter that we had successfully closed forever.
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I looked down at the smooth white pebble in my palm, then turned to look at Evelyn. The woman who had vanished for six years, who had endured unimaginable hardship to protect our children, and who had ultimately brought me back to life.
"No more board meetings," I whispered, smiling as I pulled her closer. "From now on, we only build things that matter."
