Chapter 10 - The New DawnA year later, the annual Aegis Systems Gala was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It was the premier event of the New York tech calendar, filled with brilliant scientists, young entrepreneurs, and global leaders.
I stood near the grand staircase, wearing a stunning, simple emerald-green gown. I didn't wear pearls, and I didn't wear diamonds that had been bought with stolen charity money. I wore a simple silver locket that had belonged to my grandmother.
"Simone," a warm voice called out.
I turned to see Belle and Marcus walking toward me, raising their glasses in a toast.
"To the CEO of the Year," Belle said, clinking her glass against mine. "The Aegis Systems scholarship program just graduated its first class of fifty young women, all of whom have already been placed in high-paying tech roles."
"That's the real victory," I said, a genuine, warm smile spreading across my face.
As they walked off to speak with some of our international partners, I stepped out onto the balcony, looking up at the clear, starry night sky. The air was cold, but my chest felt light and warm.
I reached into my evening bag and pulled out a small, beautifully polished piece of crystal—a fragment of the plate that Preston had shattered over my head, which I had kept as a reminder of the night I decided to stop being silent.
I held it up to the light of the city, watching it sparkle.
May you like
I had been broken, just like that plate. But like the finest glass, I had been melted down and reshaped into something infinitely stronger, sharper, and completely unbreakable.
I slipped the fragment back into my bag, turned my back on the cold dark night, and walked back into the warmth of the light, ready to build the future.
