Chapter 22 - Rebuilding the Manor**
Three months passed over the rolling hills of the New Jersey estate.
Spring brought green grass, blooming white lilies along the stone driveway, and the sweet sound of birdsong to the grand foyer.
The shattered glass had been replaced, the marble floors polished, and the dark memories of Pamela’s reign slowly scrubbed from every room.
Julian threw himself entirely into managing the newly restructured Vance Logistics Corporation, turning it into a fully transparent employee-owned entity.
Every single offshore account tied to Howard Sterling was liquidated under court supervision, its funds redirected to victim relief programs across the country.
Pamela Vance was sentenced to fifteen years in a federal correctional facility in upstate New York, her legal appeals thoroughly exhausted.
Howard Sterling died in a prison hospital six weeks after his arrest, taking the last of his dark corporate secrets to the grave.
Yet despite the quiet peace that had finally returned to the mansion, the grand foyer felt emptier than ever before.
Every afternoon at 4:00 PM, Leo would sit on the velvet bench near the front doors, looking at the navy blue maid’s uniform hanging inside the hallway closet.
“Is Clara ever coming back to fix my tea, Daddy?” Leo asked one sunny Tuesday afternoon.
May you like
Julian sat down beside his son, wrapping his arm around the boy’s shoulders as he looked at the gold-framed American flag on the wall.
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