Chapter 39 - The Matriarch's Horizon
One month later, the Vance Pharmaceuticals annual shareholder gala was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York.
I stood at the podium in a dazzling emerald evening gown, looking out over a sea of hundreds of the most influential executives, scientists, and journalists in the country. Standing near the wings of the stage were Dominic and Margaret, looking proud and unyielding.
"Today marks a new era for our company," my voice rang through the ballroom with absolute authority. "We have divested from all predatory foreign consortiums. We have established the Arthur Vance Pediatric Foundation with a fifty-million-dollar endowment dedicated to cure rare infant genetic disorders. We are not just a pharmaceutical firm anymore. We are a shield for the vulnerable."
The applause that followed was deafening. Investors who had doubted me, executives who had tried to intimidate me, all stood on their feet, recognizing the undeniable sovereign leader of the Vance dynasty.
Later that evening, after the press conferences and the handshakes, Dominic walked me out to the private terrace overlooking Central Park. The crisp autumn breeze rustled the golden leaves below.
"Julian's formal sentencing was finalized this afternoon," Dominic stated quietly, handing me a small leather file. "Thirty-two years without parole. Victoria received twenty-eight. The Swiss government has officially dismantled the Aethelgard parent company."
"Does Julian have anything left?" I asked, not looking at the file.
May you like
"Not a penny. His mother refused to post bail, and the court ordered full restitution to your family's accounts. He will spend the rest of his life working in a prison laundry for fourteen cents an hour."
I smiled faintly, turning my back to the city skyline. "Good. He can spend thirty-two years thinking about the business trip that cost him everything."
