Chapter 10 - A New Legacy
Six months later, the manor was completely transformed.
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere that had lingered during Dad’s illness and Victoria’s reign of terror was gone. The dark curtains were pulled back, letting the sunlight stream into the drawing room.
We hosted a summer gala on the estate grounds, but it wasn't a pretentious gathering of high-society elites like Victoria used to throw. It was a celebration for the employees of the logistics company—the drivers, the warehouse workers, the people who actually built the wealth Victoria had tried to steal.
Alexander stood on the patio, a glass of champagne in his hand, laughing as the IT specialist recounted the story of hacking into the penthouse servers.
I looked out over the sprawling green lawns. My father’s legacy wasn't the money, the manor, or the company. His legacy was the truth. It had taken a digital recording from beyond the grave to expose the rot in our family, but the fire had cleared the way for something stronger to grow.
Victoria was serving a ten-year sentence in a minimum-security federal facility. Richard was serving fifteen. The society columns had long forgotten their names, moving on to the next scandal.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Alexander asked, stepping up beside me and clinking his glass against mine.
“Just thinking about how much can change in a year,” I replied.
“We survived the fire,” Alexander smiled, looking out at the crowd. “Now we get to enjoy the warmth.”
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I took a sip of my champagne. The manor was full of life, the company was thriving, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't just surviving my family’s drama. I was leading it.
And as the sun set over the eight-million-dollar estate, casting a golden glow over everything my father had built, I finally felt completely at home.
