Chapter 10 - The First Star
The core conflict of my life was completely and satisfactorily resolved in the weeks following the disastrous garden party.
Gavin was formally sentenced to twenty-five years in a maximum-security federal prison without the possibility of early parole.
My father lost his entire pension and was serving a lengthy sentence for his corrupt involvement in the massive fraud.
Brooke was currently locked away in a state facility, completely abandoned by the dangerous cartel enforcer she had foolishly trusted.
Due to my grandmother’s brilliant First Star clause, I was legally awarded every single remaining asset my treacherous family possessed.
I sold their expensive cars, liquidated their hidden bank accounts, and donated a massive portion of the money to a local women’s shelter.
I successfully retained full ownership of my beautiful house on Cumberland Avenue and my thriving, incredibly profitable restaurant.
With the heavy, toxic weight of my family completely removed from my shoulders, my business exploded with unprecedented, massive success.
I even started dating a wonderful, kind architect who respected my fierce independence and cherished my incredible strength.
I finally found the profound, beautiful peace and absolute happiness that I had been fiercely fighting for.
I sat in my office late one evening, sipping a glass of expensive wine and admiring the glowing city skyline.
Everything was perfect, and I had flawlessly executed the ultimate, undeniable victory over the people who tried to destroy me.
A sudden, sharp knock on my office door startled me, and a late-night courier walked in holding a small, unmarked black package.
I carefully opened the heavy cardboard box and found a pristine, highly classified photograph of my grandmother taken just days before her supposed death.
Pinned to the back of the photograph was a chilling, handwritten note that made my blood run completely ice cold.
May you like
“Your grandmother did not die of a natural heart attack, First Star,” the terrifying message read.
“We know exactly what she really hid beneath the restaurant, and we are finally coming to take it back.”
