Chapter 10 - The New Horizon
The private jet climbed steadily through the cotton-ball clouds, banking gently toward the west as the North Carolina coastline faded into a distant blue haze beneath the afternoon sun.
In seat 4A, Lucas was glued to the window, his nose pressed against the double-paned glass as he watched the miniature world of cars and rivers shrink away into nothingness. In seat 4B, Miles was deep into a brand-new comic book, a massive box of gourmet butter popcorn balanced proudly on his lap.
Harrison sat across the aisle, a cup of hot black coffee resting on the fold-down tray table.
His phone buzzed once against the leather upholstery. He picked it up, expecting another frantic text message from an unknown number or a distant relative looking for a bailout.
Instead, it was a notification from his business manager.
Q3 corporate revenue projections just hit, Harry. Atherton Custom Goods is up 42% year-over-year. The new luxury line is completely sold out through the holidays.
Harrison locked the phone, slipping it into his pocket with a quiet, effortless sense of finality.
He leaned his head back against the cushioned headrest, closing his eyes for just a moment as the steady, powerful hum of the jet engines vibrated through the floorboards.
He had done it.
He had built a life so strong, so secure, and so entirely his own that no storm, no freeloading relative, and no sudden downpour could ever wash it away.
Across the aisle, Lucas turned around, his face lit up with an uncontainable, radiant grin.
"Dad?"
"Yeah, buddy?" Harrison opened his eyes, smiling warmly at his son.
"When we get to Orlando, can we stay in a hotel with a really, really big pool?"
Harrison laughed—a deep, rich, completely unburdened sound that filled the cabin with warmth.
May you like
"We can stay wherever you want, son," Harrison said, reaching out to ruffle Lucas’s hair. "As long as we want, and with whoever we choose."
And for the first time in his life, every single word of it was absolute truth.
