Chapter 25 - THE TRUE HAPPILY EVER AFTER
A year later, the city was bathed in the golden light of early summer. Arthur Vance had pleaded guilty to a laundry list of federal crimes, receiving twenty years in a maximum-security facility. His assets were seized, completely neutralizing the final toxic branch of Trevor’s family tree.
I stood at the front of a grand ballroom, the clinking of champagne glasses ringing through the air. The firm was throwing a massive gala in my honor, celebrating my official promotion to Name Partner. The firm was now "Hayes, Sterling & Vance"—reclaiming the very name that tried to destroy me and stamping my own authority over it.
Khloe walked up beside me, handing me a glass of vintage champagne. "Look at you," she smiled, tapping her glass against mine. "From surviving a kitchen floor ambush to owning the skyline."
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I reached up, running a hand through my hair. It had grown out into a stunning, sweeping style that I absolutely loved. I had bought a beautiful estate in the countryside, completely independent, completely secure, and completely mine. I wasn't just a survivor anymore; I was a titan in my field.
Looking out over the crowd of friends, colleagues, and allies who had stood by me, I took a sip of champagne. They had tried to break me, control me, and erase my identity. Instead, they had forged me into diamond. And the best part of my happily ever after? I didn't owe a single cent of it to anyone but myself.
