Chapter 7 - A SENATOR'S DISGRACE
The scandal involving Senator Hastings was the final nail in the coffin of the old Chicago guard.
The "Triad Group" had become more than a company;
it was a symbol of the new era.
One where transparency mattered more than pedigree.
I was sitting in a board meeting when Maya walked in with a newspaper.
The headline was: HASTINGS RESIGNS AMIDST CORRUPTION CHARGES.
The article detailed the illegal land deals Eleanor had helped him secure.
They were vultures who had been feeding on the city for decades.
I looked around the table at my new board.
Younger.
Smarter.
Diverse.
"We’re launching the scholarship fund today,"
I announced.
"The Eleanor Montgomery Memorial Fund for Urban Ethics."
One of the board members chuckled.
"Irony is your favorite weapon, isn't it, Ava?"
"It’s the most effective one,"
I replied.
The scholarship would fund hundreds of children from the neighborhoods Eleanor had tried to avoid.
It was the ultimate erasure of her name.
That evening,
I went to pick up the boys from Ethan’s apartment.
He was living in a modest two-bedroom in Lincoln Park.
When I arrived,
the living room was covered in Lego sets.
Noah was "flying" a spaceship,
and Caleb was showing Ethan how to use a tablet.
Liam was sitting at the table,
drawing a blueprint.
"He wants to be an engineer,"
Ethan said,
walking me to the kitchen.
"He’s got the focus for it."
"He gets that from me,"
I said.
"I know."
Ethan leaned against the counter,
looking at me with a soft,
lingering regret.
"I saw the news about Hastings."
"You really took them all down, didn't you?"
"I didn't take them down, Ethan."
"I just turned on the lights."
"They were the ones who couldn't handle what was revealed."
Ethan looked at the floor.
"I’ve been thinking about the boys' future."
"I want to set up a trust that’s completely independent of Triad."
"Something they can use when they’re twenty-one."
"No strings attached."
I watched him,
searching for any hint of the old Montgomery manipulation.
I found none.
"That’s a good idea, Ethan."
"But you'll have to fund it with your own salary."
"No more family money."
"I wouldn't have it any other way,"
he said.
As we walked back to the living room,
Liam looked up from his drawing.
"Mama,
is the castle all gone?"
"The old one is, Liam."
"But we’re building a new one."
"Can I help?"
"You already are,"
I said,
kissing the top of his head.
The Montgomery name was a ghost now.
But the Vance triplets were very,
May you like
very real.
And they were ready to inherit a world that was actually worth having.
