Chapter 11 - THE ULTIMATE VERDICT
The years passed like a well-written book.
The Phoenix Group became a global leader in ethical business.
I became a mentor to young entrepreneurs,
teaching them that the heart of a company is the character of its leader.
I never remarried.
I found that my own company was more than enough.
I had friends who loved me for who I was,
not for what I owned.
I had a life that was full of meaning and joy.
One day,
I received a notification that Jake had been released from prison.
He was an old man now,
with nowhere to go and no one to call.
The news mentioned that he was living in a small apartment in a town I had never heard of.
He had tried to write his memoirs,
but no one was interested in the story of a man who had lost it all to greed.
I felt no anger.
I felt no triumph.
I simply felt nothing.
He was a character in a story I had finished long ago.
I sat in my office,
looking at the photo on my desk.
It was a photo of me on the day the Phoenix Group went public.
I was smiling.
A real,
genuine smile.
The kind of smile that comes from knowing you have done the right thing.
I picked up my pen and began to sign a new set of contracts.
We were expanding into South America.
We were building schools and hospitals.
We were changing the world,
one decision at a time.
I looked at the clock.
It was Valentine’s Day.
I didn't have flowers,
and I didn't have tickets to Paris.
I had a meeting with the board of directors.
And I had a heart that was full of peace.
The ashes had long since been buried.
The Phoenix was soaring.
And the story was finally,
perfectly,
complete.
I walked into the boardroom,
the lights bright and the air fresh.
"Shall we begin?"
I asked.
The directors nodded,
their eyes full of respect.
I was Emma Thorne.
May you like
And I was finally home.
The end.
