Chapter 5 - Spring in Seattle
Six months after that fateful midnight meeting at the Rainier Club, the spring thaw finally reached the Pacific Northwest, painting the Emerald City in brilliant shades of emerald green and sapphire blue.
I stood on the wraparound balcony of my new penthouse, the morning breeze carrying the salty, crisp scent of Puget Sound. The financial restructuring of Vance Capital was complete. Through aggressive asset recovery and court-ordered restitution, I had not only reclaimed every cent Brandon had stolen from my family trust, but I had also been voted unanimously by the board as the new Chief Executive Officer of Vance Capital.
The corporate world whispered about my resilience; the tabloids called me the Ice Queen of Seattle.
Inside the nursery, a soft, gurgling coo drifted through the open French doors.
I turned away from the shimmering waters of the bay, walking across the hardwood floor into the bright, sunlit room. Leo was sitting up in his crib, clutching a small wooden rattle Thomas had carved and shipped down from Montana. His bright green eyes—the exact shade of my own—sparked with mischief as I scooped him up into my arms, burying my face in his soft, warm neck.
"You ready to go to work, boss?" I whispered against his curls.
He let out a happy squeak, kicking his little legs in agreement.
I carried him out to the private elevator, pressing the button for the underground garage where my sleek black sedan waited. As the mirrored doors slid shut, reflecting an image of a woman who was no longer a victim, but a survivor, a conqueror, and a mother, I smiled.
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Brandon was locked away in a maximum-security federal penitentiary two hundred miles away, staring at four concrete walls for the rest of his natural life, forced to contemplate the ghost he failed to bury.
And out here in the brilliant spring sunlight, my real life was just beginning.
