Chapter 27 - THE EMPIRE CHANGES
Marriage did not turn Lena into a different person.
If anything, it made her more independent.
She continued running the Hart Foundation.
She continued auditing Romano operations.
And she continued challenging Victor whenever she believed he was wrong.
One board member once complained:
“She treats you like an ordinary businessman.”
Victor smiled.
“She should.”
The organization gradually changed.
Illegal operations were dismantled.
Financial records became transparent.
Employees received stronger protections.
Independent auditors gained authority.
Victor's father had built an empire through fear.
Victor had inherited it.
Lena helped him understand that keeping it did not require becoming the man who built it.
One night, Victor looked at the city from his office.
“We're losing power.”
Lena stood beside him.
“No.”
She pointed toward the harbor.
“We're losing the kind of power that needs people to be afraid.”
Victor smiled.
May you like
“That's the kind worth losing.”
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