Chapter 10 - The New Empire
Three years later, the Denver skyline looked different from the rooftop terrace of my penthouse, but the view was sweeter than ever.
I sat in a comfortable velvet lounge chair, watching a toddler with curly dark hair and fierce, independent eyes chase a golden retriever across the expansive hardwood floor.
My phone rested on the table beside a glass of sparkling water. A news alert popped up on the screen: Disgraced Former Real Estate Tycoon Grant Sterling Denied Parole Appeal in Federal Penitentiary.
I swiped the notification away without opening it. Ghost stories didn't scare me anymore. The ghosts of my past had been evicted, tried, convicted, and locked away where they belonged.
My secretary, a sharp young woman named Chloe whom I had personally mentored, stepped out onto the terrace holding a leather-bound folio.
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“Claire, the venture capitalists from Silicon Valley are on the line for the Series C acquisition call. Are you ready?”
I stood up, adjusting my tailored blazer, feeling the absolute, unshakeable strength in my bones. I looked back at my daughter, who was laughing as the golden retriever gently nosed her toy blocks.
