Chapter 15 - Celebrating on Elm Street
That evening, the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the Boston sky in brilliant shades of amber and violet.
I unlocked the front door of our Elm Street apartment and stepped inside.
Before I could even set down my briefcase, a pair of small arms wrapped tightly around my waist.
“Mommy! You’re home early!” Lily squealed, looking up with an excited grin. “And I finished all my homework!”
I scooped her up into my arms, burying my face in her neck and laughing. “You did? That deserves a major celebration.”
“Does that mean ice cream?” she asked hopefully.
“It means double scoops of chocolate fudge, plus whatever toppings you want,” I declared as we walked into the cozy kitchen.
The table was set with our usual mismatched plates, the radiator hummed its familiar tune, and the faint scent of cinnamon tea filled the air. Everything looked modest, simple, and entirely ordinary.
And yet, everything had changed.
My family’s empire had crumbled, the toxic pretenses of Newport society had burned to ash, and I was now running the very company that had once locked me out of its doors.
I looked down at Lily, who was busy grabbing two spoons from the drawer, completely unaware of the massive corporate seismic shifts her cleverness had triggered.
“What are you smiling at, Mommy?” she asked, tilting her head.
May you like
“Just thinking about how lucky I am to have the smartest business partner in the world,” I said, kissing the top of her head.
Now, we were ready for whatever chapter came next.
