Chapter 17 - THE DRIVE HOME
I grabbed my coat, turned off my desk lamp, and walked out of the executive suite, locking the heavy glass doors behind me.
The elevator ride down to the ground floor was smooth and silent. When I stepped out into the grand lobby of the Vanguard Apex building, the crisp evening air rushed in through the revolving glass doors as pedestrians hurried past beneath twinkling holiday streetlights.
My car—a clean, dependable, midnight-blue sedan—was parked curbside, idling softly in the winter chill. I unlocked the doors, slid into the warm leather driver’s seat, and tossed my briefcase onto the passenger side.
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As I pulled out into the bustling Boston traffic, moving smoothly with the flow of evening commuters, I felt a deep, profound sense of peace settle over my chest.
There were no contracts to sign, no hidden liabilities to uncover, and no expectations to fulfill. There was only the open road ahead, the warmth of a family dinner waiting at the end of the journey, and the quiet, unshakeable knowledge that I had built my empire—and my life—on my own terms.
