Chapter 20 - A New Dawn and an Open Horizon
The federal marshals escorted Raymond Shaw out of the executive suite in heavy steel handcuffs, his head bowed in quiet defeat as his decades-long betrayal came to a definitive, unceremonious end. The empire of corruption that had threatened to tear Cole Meridian apart from the inside out was finally, irrevocably dismantled.
Dawn broke over Manhattan, washing the skyline in brilliant shades of gold and amber. I stood alone at the center of the grand boardroom, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows at the bustling harbor below. My reflection in the glass showed a woman forged in fire—unyielding, unbreakable, and absolute master of her own destiny.
My phone buzzed softly on the desk behind me. An unknown number flashed across the screen with a single text message:
May you like
*'Bellum Veritas has been globally dissolved. The board is yours.'*
I didn't reply. I simply picked up my father’s golden fountain pen, turned on my heel, and walked toward the grand double doors of the executive suite, ready to step into whatever horizon awaited next.
