Chapter 16 - Building a New Empire
The success of the Chicago boutique hotel branding project acted as a massive catalyst for my design business. Within weeks, word-of-mouth recommendations rippled through the upscale design and hospitality circles of the region. My small home office quickly transformed into a bustling micro-agency. I hired two talented junior designers—ambitious, sharp young women fresh out of university—who worked remotely and collaborated with me through daily digital check-ins.
My life became a vibrant symphony of creative deadlines, client consultations, and precious, uninterrupted moments with Hailey, who was now growing into a sturdy, curious toddler taking her very first wobbly steps across the hardwood living room floor.
One sunlit Thursday afternoon, I received an unexpected email notification that stopped me mid-scroll. It wasn't from a client or a legal representative. The sender name was familiar, yet felt like an echo from a lifetime ago: *Chloe Vance*.
My eyebrows furrowed in irritation. I had blocked her phone number, but she had evidently managed to bypass my email filters by using a professional address. I hovered my cursor over the message, tempted to delete it unread, but curiosity finally won out. I clicked to open.
*Elena,*
*I know you hate me, and I know I have no right to ask you for anything. But I am desperate. Liam lied to me about everything. He told me he was wealthy, that he was leaving you because you were holding him back, and that his corporate career was bulletproof. The day after he signed those divorce papers, the firm's internal audit department froze all his assets, and he was criminally charged with embezzlement of company funds. He used my name on several fraudulent expense reports. The police are investigating me, too. I've lost my job, my apartment, and my reputation. I have nothing left. Please, if there is any shred of decency in you, tell me what you know. Can his charges be dropped? Did your father have something to do with this? Please help me.*
I stared at the computer screen for a long, silent moment. A cold, humorless smile touched the corners of my lips.
Chloe had thought she was stepping into a glamorous life of luxury by stealing another woman's husband, completely blind to the fact that a man willing to betray his wife and newborn child for a brief thrill had no loyalty, no morals, and no actual foundation. Liam hadn't been a successful corporate catch; he had been a sinking ship, and Chloe had happily jumped on board just as it hit the iceberg.
Without a moment of hesitation, I highlighted the email, clicked *Forward*, and sent it directly to Mr. Henderson with a single note attached: *For your amusement, and for the record.*
Then, I hit *Block Sender* and permanently deleted the message from my inbox.
May you like
I stood up from my desk, walked over to the living room where Hailey was attempting to build a crooked tower of wooden blocks, and dropped gently to my knees beside her.
"Look, sweetie," I murmured, gently guiding her tiny hand to place the final block on top without letting it tumble. "We don't look back. We only build forward."
