Chapter 7 - The New Foundation
The transition wasn't easy,
but I had the best help in the world.
Owen became my mentor,
my confidant,
and eventually,
my partner.
Not just in business,
but in life.
He didn't want to own me.
He wanted to walk beside me.
The Anastasia Sterling Foundation launched six months later.
The first event was held in New York,
not Miami.
There were no auctions.
There were no jokes.
The ballroom was filled with scientists,
artists,
and social workers.
I stood on the stage,
wearing a gown of silver silk,
the Sterling diamonds around my neck.
I looked out at the crowd and saw people who actually cared about the work.
Sarah Vance was there.
Mia was there,
running the press desk with a confident smile.
And Owen was in the front row,
his eyes bright with pride.
When I walked to the microphone,
the room went silent.
"For twenty-seven years,"
I began,
my voice clear and strong,
"I was a woman who lived in the shadows."
"I was a woman who was told her value was twenty dollars."
The crowd gasped.
"But value isn't something someone else gives you,"
I continued.
"It’s something you carry within yourself."
"Tonight,"
"We are here to honor the women who have been told they are useless."
"We are here to provide the tools,
the education,"
"And the freedom to help them see their own worth."
The applause was deafening.
It wasn't the polite laughter of Miami.
It was the sound of a thousand people recognizing the truth.
After the speech,
a young woman came up to me.
She looked the way I felt thirty years ago—scared,
but hopeful.
"Thank you,
Ms. Sterling,"
she whispered.
"I think I’m ready to leave him now."
I took her hand and squeezed it.
"You’re worth more than two million dollars,"
I told her.
"You’re priceless."
As she walked away,
I felt a hand on my waist.
It was Owen.
"You did it,"
he said.
"Clara would be so proud."
I looked up at him,
feeling the warmth of the lights.
May you like
"I think I’m proud of me,
too."
