Chapter 9 - The New Empire
Ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
The scared little girl sleeping on subway grates was nothing but a distant memory.
I was eighteen years old, standing in the glass-paneled boardroom of Sterling Industries.
I wore a sharp tailored suit, holding a massive file of corporate acquisitions.
Arthur sat at the head of the long table, looking older but prouder than ever.
Julian sat to his right, leaning handsomely on a silver cane, a brilliant tech developer in his own right.
We were no longer just a family; we were an unstoppable dynasty.
I had learned everything about business, power, and strategy from the man who saved me.
The board of directors waited silently for my presentation to begin.
I clicked a button, and the massive screen behind me lit up with a new project proposal.
“The Maya Foundation will build fifty state-of-the-art shelters across the Midwest,” I announced confidently.
“No child will ever freeze on the streets of our city again.”
“We are funding it entirely with the liquid assets we seized from the Sinclair bankruptcy.”
A murmur of impressed approval rippled through the boardroom.
I used the money of the woman who tried to destroy us to save thousands of innocent lives.
Arthur smiled warmly, nodding his head in absolute agreement.
“Excellent work, Maya,” Arthur praised me in front of the board.
May you like
I looked at Julian, who gave me a secret thumbs-up under the table.
We were a team, forged in ice and strengthened by absolute love.
