Chapter 10 - THE AFTERMATH
The weeks that followed were a media frenzy. The arrest of Victoria Ashford and Arthur Vance rocked Wall Street to its core. The flash drive—which had safely bounced off the stone hearth and avoided the fire—provided exactly the evidence the SEC needed to dismantle Vance's empire.
Through it all, Nathaniel kept Grace and Noah entirely out of the press. He bought Grace a beautiful townhouse in Brooklyn and paid for her to re-enroll in her university program. He gave her everything she needed to be independent.
But independence was terribly lonely.
Grace sat in the garden of her new home, watching the autumn leaves fall. Noah was thriving in his new private school, and her hands had completely healed, leaving only faint, silvery scars. But every time the phone rang, her heart jumped, hoping it was Nathaniel.
He had kept his distance, claiming he wanted her to heal, to find her footing without the shadow of the Caldwell wealth looming over her.
"Mom!" Noah yelled from the front door. "There's a fancy car outside!"
Grace's breath hitched. She walked through the house and opened the front door.
May you like
Standing on her stoop, wearing a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, was Nathaniel. He looked nervous—a look she had never seen on the billionaire's face before.
"I tried to stay away," Nathaniel said softly, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine. "I wanted to give you space. But my house is entirely too big, and it's completely empty without you in it."
