PART 16: THE RECOVERY DECREE
The winter storm finally broke, leaving the city skyline glittering beneath a brilliant, crystal-clear morning sun.
At 10:00 a.m., the front doors of my corporate headquarters opened smoothly. I walked out onto the stone porch, wearing a beautifully tailored cream knit dress, my face completely radiant with a deep, unyielding sense of freedom.
Beside her walked Marcus Bell, who looked at the legal briefs with a quiet, fierce pride.
"The court just issued the final recovery decree," Marcus said, handing me a leather-bound folder bearing the state seal. "The Rivas group has been entirely dissolved. Their remaining commercial assets have been consolidated into your primary portfolio. The name Rivas is officially legally dead on the market indices."
Down the driveway of our primary property, a security crew was carefully installing a modern, high-security biometric entry system.
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"Santiago called from the holding facility again this morning," Marcus continued, taking a slow step toward the car. "He’s begging for a confidential mitigation waiver. He says his mother’s health won't survive the federal grand jury sentencing next week."
I looked out at the quiet, beautiful city view. "Tell his defense counsel that I don't sign mitigation waivers for people who exploit my family, Marcus. He wanted to use paper to turn me into nothing. Now the paper will do what my voice never could."
