Chapter 10 - The Unbroken SpineThree years later, the headlines across national financial newspapers read: âVANCE & STERLING RECOGNIZED AS NATIONâS LEADING FORENSIC AUDITING FIRM IN ASSET RECOVERY AND DOMESTIC FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS.â

I sat at the head of a massive mahogany boardroom table in our new downtown headquarters, surrounded by a team of brilliant, fierce female attorneys and forensic accountants. We had successfully recovered over one hundred million dollars in hidden assets for abused spouses and corporate whistleblowers across the country.
My phone buzzed on the sleek glass table. It was a text message from an unknown number, likely routed through a prison contraband phone.
Please... I need help. I have no one.
I looked at the screen for three seconds, tapped the icon marked BLOCK, and slid the phone face down onto the wood.
Marcus walked into the conference room, holding a glass of champagne, and smiled at me.
âTo the most formidable woman in Atlanta,â Marcus toasted, raising his glass.
I stood up, picked up my champagne flute, and looked around the room at the powerful, independent women who had built an empire out of the ashes of deceit.
May you like
âTo patience, justice, and never letting anyone forget who you really are,â I smiled, clinking my glass against his.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the Atlanta skyline stretched out endlessly beneath the bright afternoon sunâvast, beautiful, and entirely free.