Chapter 10 - The Empire Reborn
The jury deliberated for less than two hours.
Guilty on all counts.
Santiago was sentenced to forty-five years in federal prison without the possibility of parole. Beatriz, having taken a plea deal after the failed assassination attempt, received twenty-five years.
Six months later, I stood in the penthouse office of what used to be the Rivas Corporation.
Following a massive civil lawsuit and asset forfeiture, the legitimate remnants of the company, the real estate holdings, and the clean capital had been awarded to me as restitution for the financial fraud and emotional damages.
I didn't sell it. I took it over.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, wearing a sharp, tailored white suit, looking out over the city skyline. The door clicked open, and my father walked in, holding a cup of coffee.
"The board just unanimously approved your new initiative for the domestic violence survivor fund," my father said, a proud smile warming his hardened features. "You are making quite the name for yourself, CEO Salazar."
"I had a good teacher," I smiled, taking the coffee.
I looked at the framed photo on my desk. It was a picture of Leo, laughing brightly in the sun at our new home, completely untouched by the darkness of the man who had sired him.
May you like
Santiago had tried to break me. He had tried to bury me in a gilded cage and steal my child. But he had forgotten one crucial detail. He forgot whose blood ran in my veins.
I took a sip of my coffee and looked back out at the city. The Rivas empire was dead. The Salazar era had begun, and I was never going to let anyone make me afraid again.
