Chapter Thirteen: The Legacy
Two years after the will reading.
Simone walked through the factory floor.
Workers nodded. Smiled. Called her by name.
She knew almost all of them now.
Their children’s names. Their hopes. Their fears.
Maria from the lathe had been promoted to shift supervisor.
“Mrs. Simone,” Maria said, beaming.
“Did you see the numbers? Best quarter in a decade.”
“I saw. You did that.”
“We did that.”
Simone squeezed her arm.
Moved on.
The aerospace facility had opened on schedule.
Now they were planning a second expansion.
Robert had already drawn up projections.
The board had approved unanimously.
“You’ve made us all look good,” Frank had said.
“You’ve made us believe again.”
James proposed on a Tuesday.
No grand gesture. No crowd.
Just the two of them. Her apartment. Takeout Thai.
“I’m not going to give a big speech,” he said.
Pulled out a simple ring.
“You know who I am. You know how I feel. You know I’m not Dererick.”
“That’s your proposal?”
“That’s my proposal. Marry me. Or don’t. But I’m going to ask every day until you say yes.”
She laughed.
Then cried.
Then said yes.
He put the ring on her finger.
It fit perfectly.
“How did you know my size?”
“I asked Diane. She stole a ring from your jewelry box.”
“You conspired with my secretary?”
“I conspired with everyone. Robert. Frank. Patterson. Even Maria.”
Simone shook her head.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m in love. There’s a difference.”
The wedding was small.
City hall. Just family and close friends.
Simone wore a white dress. Simple. Elegant.
James wore a gray suit. He cried when he saw her.
Robert gave her away.
“Harold would be honored,” Robert whispered.
“He’d be terrified,” Simone whispered back.
“Of you? Never.”
They exchanged vows.
Short. Honest. No fairy tale promises.
Just two people choosing each other.
Every day. For the rest of their lives.
Dererick was released on parole.
Simone heard through Patterson.
“He’s living with his mother. Working at a warehouse. He’s not allowed within five hundred feet of you or the company.”
“I don’t care where he is.”
“You should know. Just in case.”
She wouldn’t give Dererick the satisfaction of fear.
He’d already taken too much from her.
He wouldn’t take her peace.
The company hit one hundred million in revenue.
Simone threw a party for all employees.
Bonus checks for everyone.
“This is because of you,” she said.
“Every single person in this room.”
Maria gave a speech.
“Three years ago, I was afraid I’d lose my job. Now I own my home. My kids are in college. I have a future.”
She looked at Simone.
“You gave me that.”
“You earned that,” Simone corrected.
“I just gave you a chance.”
On the third anniversary of Harold’s death, Simone visited his grave.
She brought roses. Red ones. His favorite.
James waited in the car. Gave her space.
She knelt by the headstone.
“I’m running the company now. Really running it. Not just surviving.”
She told him about the expansion. The new contracts. The employees who were thriving.
“I met someone. His name is James. He’s kind. He’s patient. He’s nothing like Dererick.”
She paused.
“I think you’d like him.”
The wind picked up.
Leaves scattered across the grave.
“I built something beautiful,” she said.
“Just like you told me to.”
She stayed for a while longer.
Then stood. Brushed off her knees.
Walked back to the car.
James was waiting.
He always was.
That night, Simone sat on her balcony.
Ring on her finger. Company thriving. Man she loved asleep inside.
She pulled out Harold’s letter.
Read it one more time.
Find someone who sees your worth.
She had.
Have adventures. Be happy.
She was.
Build something beautiful.
She did.
She folded the letter.
Pressed it to her heart.
Then she went inside.
Climbed into bed.
James stirred. Wrapped an arm around her.
“Everything okay?”
“Everything is perfect.”
She turned off the light.
Closed her eyes.
For the first time in her life, she wasn’t waiting for the other shoe to drop.
She wasn’t bracing for betrayal.
She wasn’t sleeping in a basement.
She was home.
