Chapter 15 - The New FoundationThe morning sun broke over the East River, spilling pale gold light across the empty hardwood floor of the loft on Hudson Street.
There was no expensive silk runner on the table. There were no antique crystal flutes, no heavy silver platters, no whispers of fabricated authority. Just a solid oak table, a vase of fresh yellow tulips, and the quiet ticking of a grandfather clock in the corner.
Claire sat at the table with a cup of warm chamomile tea, watching the movers carry the last of the nursery furniture down the hall.
Her phone chimed on the table.
A single notification popped up on the screen:
Montgomery Holdings: Federal Asset Transition Complete.
She tapped the screen, watched the confirmation banner clear, and then turned the phone face down on the wood.
Through the large industrial windows, the city was waking up—horns honking faintly in the distance, the low rumble of the subway beneath the street, the steady, relentless march of millions of lives moving forward.
May you like
Claire leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and took a deep, uninterrupted breath.
For the first time in five years, the air belonged to her.
