Chapter 20 - A New Dawn
Six months later.
The sun shone brightly over a modest, beautiful house in the suburbs of Seattle, three thousand miles away from the granite walls of the Vance estate.
Inside the kitchen, Clara was flipping pancakes, wearing jeans and a comfortable sweater. The TV in the background played a national news broadcast.
"...Arthur Vance, former billionaire and CEO, was sentenced today to life in federal prison without the possibility of parole, following a massive corruption and attempted murder scandal..."
Clara turned off the TV with a satisfied smirk.
The back door banged open, and Julian ran in, his face smeared with dirt, carrying a baseball glove. He looked completely different. He had put on weight, his eyes were bright, and the heavy, terrified shadow that used to follow him was entirely gone.
"Mom! Clara! I made the team!" Julian shouted, tossing his glove onto the counter.
Eleanor walked into the kitchen, looking vibrant and healthy, her hair styled and her eyes full of life. She grabbed Julian and pulled him into a massive hug. "I knew you would, sweetheart! I’m so proud of you."
Clara handed Julian a plate of pancakes. "Eat up, slugger. We have to celebrate."
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Julian sat at the table, looking at his mother, then at Clara. For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like a prisoner in a multi-million-dollar cage. He felt something he had never experienced in the sprawling, echoing halls of his past.
He felt like he was home.
