Chapter 9 - The Rebuilt HorizonSpring arrived in Chicago with a sudden, explosive burst of green. The ice over Lake Michigan melted into brilliant blue waves, and the parks along the lakefront filled with blooming tulips and sunlight.
My forensic logistics and investment consultancy—now officially rebranded as Vance & Carter Enterprises—was thriving. With Marcus managing the auditing division and myself at the helm of strategic growth, we had just secured our largest institutional client portfolio to date.
I walked through the sleek, sunlit lobby of our downtown corporate headquarters holding little Clara in a lightweight baby carrier against my chest. Employees smiled and nodded respectfully as I passed by, recognizing not just the majority owner, but a woman who had engineered one of the most brilliant corporate and personal restructuring victories in the city’s history.
My phone rang as I stepped into my private corner office.
It was an unknown local number.
I paused, letting it ring twice before swiping to answer.
“Savannah?”
The voice was thin, raspy, and utterly defeated. It was Roman.
I didn't hang up. I walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the magnificent skyline of the city where he had once ruled as an untouchable king.
“Yes, Roman?” I asked, my voice calm, steady, and entirely devoid of emotion.
“I… I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he stammered, sounding like a ghost of the man he used to be. “And… to ask if there was any way we could reconsider the settlement terms. My attorney says the federal sentencing guidelines are looking severe, and—”
“Roman,” I interrupted gently. “You spent years convincing yourself that you were the only architect of our lives. You thought you could build an empire of glass while hiding behind locked gates and forged signatures.”
There was a heavy, suffocating silence on the other end of the line.
May you like
“You wanted an authentic life, unburdened by my presence,” I continued. “Congratulations. You finally got your wish. Now you get to experience the true cost of keeping the lights on all by yourself.”
Before he could sob out another plea, I tapped the red end call button, blocking his number permanently from my life.
