Chapter 7 - The Empire Built on Steel
Three months post-surgery, my apartment had transformed into a high-powered command center for Scott Aerospace & Compliance LLC.
The titanium pins in my right tibia were healing far ahead of schedule under the meticulous care of Dr. Vance and a rigorous physical therapy regimen. While I still relied on a sleek, carbon-fiber forearm crutch for long distances, my independence had returned with a vengeance.
My parents were currently awaiting trial in a federal detention facility in Nevada, facing up to fifteen years for wire fraud, identity theft, and interstate financial conspiracy. Stellin’s former corporate partners had come forward with additional documentation proving he had been embezzling from smaller family-owned businesses for over a decade.
As for Sutton, her dream of marrying into billionaire society had imploded spectacularly. Alistair Vance had officially filed an annulment based on fraud and misrepresentation, and the Azure Crest Resort was suing her for $150,000 in unpaid rehearsal dinner damages and reputational ruin. Without my parents' financial safety net—which had now been entirely seized by federal restitution orders—Sutton had been forced to move into a tiny, run-down studio apartment in the suburbs, working a minimum-wage retail job while dodging debt collectors and paparazzi.
My phone chimed with an email notification.
It was the official, finalized contract from Vance Global Aviation. Not only had they awarded my firm the $85,000 baseline inspection contract, but they had expanded it into a multi-year exclusive retainer worth over $1.2 million annually, making me one of the youngest lead aviation safety directors in the country.
I spun my wheelchair around to face the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sparkling blue expanse of Lake Michigan. The sun was setting, casting a brilliant, warm amber glow across the Chicago skyline.
Vesper walked into my office, setting down a fresh cup of coffee on my desk.
“Courier just dropped off the final federal asset liquidation payout,” she said, raising her mug in a silent toast. “Your new business bank account is fully funded, debt-free, and legally firewalled.”
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I raised my coffee cup to meet hers, smiling as the golden evening light caught the polished metal of my leg brace.
“Let them keep their champagne and marble staircases,” I said softly, looking out at the horizon. “I’m building an empire out of titanium and steel.”
