Chapter 10 - The Rightful Heir
The screams faded, leaving the Saint Aurelia Ballroom in a profound, heavy quiet.
Douglas turned back to Caroline. The 65-year-old billionaire broke down completely. He fell to his knees on the marble floor, wrapping his arms around his scarred, barefoot daughter, sobbing into her dirty beige coat.
"I'm so sorry," Douglas cried, burying his face in her shoulder. "I didn't know. I swear to God, Caroline, I didn't know."
Caroline didn't cry. The tears in her exhausted eyes finally dried. She gently placed her hands on her father’s shoulders, feeling the warmth of true family for the first time in eight agonizing months.
"I know, Dad," Caroline whispered softly, looking out over the stunned, silent crowd of elite guests. "I'm home now."
Months later, Juliette was sentenced to thirty years in a maximum-security federal penitentiary for attempted murder, kidnapping, and fraud. The corrupt asylum was raided and completely shut down by the FBI.
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Caroline didn't hide her scars. She wore them as a badge of absolute survival. Dressed in a sharp, tailored black suit, she walked into the Mercer corporate boardroom, taking her rightful seat at the head of the table as the new, undisputed CEO of the multi-billion-dollar empire. She had walked through the fire, and she had come out completely untouchable.
If your sibling tried to destroy you out of jealousy, would you ever find it in your heart to forgive them?
