Chapter 6 - The Dress That Held a Fortune of SecretsThe dress had belonged to Sadie's grandmother.
She remembered seeing it as a child.
White silk.
Hand-stitched pearls.
Stored in a cedar chest.
They found it in a storage unit.
Inside the lining was a hidden pocket.
The ledger was there.
Names filled the pages.
Some were dead.
Some were powerful.
Some still held office.
And one name stood out.
Roman's father.
Beside it:
Paid to remove evidence.
Roman stared.
“He was involved.”
Sadie touched his arm.
“You didn't know.”
“No.”
“But now you do.”
He closed the ledger.
“We expose it.”
The legal consequences were enormous.
Roman could lose everything.
His companies.
His properties.
His freedom.
But he decided to testify.
The trial became one of the biggest criminal cases Chicago had seen in decades.
Victor was arrested.
Trevor testified.
Roman testified.
Sadie testified.
And her mother finally told the truth publicly.
The city watched.
Roman was not imprisoned.
He received immunity for his cooperation in dismantling the organization.
But he lost control of several companies.
He didn't care.
The legitimate businesses remained.
He rebuilt them.
Sadie helped.
They opened a community foundation.
They funded housing.
Legal aid.
Domestic violence services.
Job training.
And eventually, a scholarship for women rebuilding their lives after financial abuse.
Trevor was convicted for his role.
He received a reduced sentence because of his testimony.
Chloe left him.
She later apologized to Sadie.
Sadie accepted.
Not because they would become friends.
Because she was done carrying everyone else's anger.
One evening, Roman came home with flowers.
Sadie looked at them.
“What's the occasion?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why?”
“Because I wanted to.”
She smiled.
“You're getting sentimental.”
“I blame you.”
She laughed.
May you like
They had become ordinary.
And that was more precious than either of them expected.
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