Chapter 7 - The Hour of Reckoning
I stood by the window in Elias’s private office,
watching the cars move like ants on the streets below.
One hour.
Sixty minutes to decide the fate of a fortune.
I felt a strange sense of peace.
For years,
I had lived in fear of Eleanor’s disapproval.
I had lived in fear of Nathan’s boredom.
But now,
the fear was gone.
I had taken the worst they could give me,
and I had turned it into a weapon.
Elias walked in,
holding two cups of black coffee.
“They’re sweating,”
he said,
handing me a cup.
“Miller is trying to convince Eleanor that you’re not bluffing.”
“I’m not,”
I said,
taking a sip of the bitter liquid.
“I know you’re not.”
“That’s why they’re going to sign.”
“They love the money more than they hate you.”
We waited in silence,
the ticking of the clock the only sound.
At the forty-five minute mark,
there was a knock on the door.
Miller entered,
looking defeated.
“They’ll sign,”
he said,
his voice hollow.
“On one condition.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“They want the ledger back.”
“The original and all copies.”
I looked at Elias.
He nodded slightly.
“We can agree to return the original upon the finalization of the transfer,”
Elias said.
“But the copies stay in a secure vault.”
“If anyone from the Pierce family ever contacts Mara again,
or if the non-disparagement clause is breached,
the copies go to the press.”
Miller sighed.
“Agreed.”
We walked back into the conference room.
The papers were laid out on the table.
Eleanor wouldn't even look at me.
Nathan looked like he was about to be sick.
One by one,
they signed their names.
The Pierce estate was being carved up,
and I was taking the lion’s share.
When it was finished,
I picked up my pen and signed the final page.
Mara Pierce was no more.
I was Mara Vance again.
I picked up the ledger and handed it to Miller.
“Here,”
I said.
“Tell Eleanor to keep it in a safe place.”
“It’s the only thing she has left that’s worth anything.”
I walked out of the room without a backward glance.
Nathan called my name as I reached the elevator,
May you like
but the doors closed before he could reach me.
The silence was finally perfect.
