Chapter 10 - The Dawn Of The Empire
Six months later,
the crisp autumn air swirled around the massive,
sprawling estate that belonged to the Sterling family,
a fortress of wealth and power hidden away in the mountains.
I sat on the wide,
wrap-around porch,
wrapped in a thick woolen blanket,
looking out over the private lake that reflected the fiery colors of the changing leaves.
In my arms,
wrapped in soft,
cashmere swaddling,
slept my beautiful,
healthy newborn son,
Arthur Julian Sterling.
He had my father's strong jawline,
and my dark eyes,
and he was entirely,
perfectly safe from the darkness of the world.
The nightmare of Alexandria felt like a distant,
fading bad dream,
a story that happened to a weaker,
more naive version of myself.
Carter was currently serving a fifteen-year sentence in a federal penitentiary,
his firm dismantled,
his name entirely forgotten by the society he had once clawed so desperately to impress.
Eleanor,
stripped of her wealth and her arrogant pride,
was working as a cashier in a discount grocery store,
living in a cramped apartment on the wrong side of town.
They had tried to play a game they didn't understand,
against players they couldn't possibly beat,
and they had lost absolutely everything.
My father stepped onto the porch,
carrying two steaming mugs of tea,
his face softening the moment he laid eyes on his grandson.
"He is sleeping soundly,"
my father observed,
handing me a mug,
careful not to wake the tiny emperor in my arms.
"He is safe, Dad,"
I smiled,
leaning my head against my father's strong shoulder,
feeling a deep,
abiding peace settling into my bones.
"He will always be safe,"
my father promised,
his voice fierce and unwavering,
staring out over his vast domain.
"He will be raised with love,"
"he will be raised with strength,"
"and he will never have to hide who he truly is."
I looked down at my sleeping son,
knowing that he would grow up surrounded by power,
but more importantly,
surrounded by fiercely protective love.
I had survived the darkness,
emerged from the ashes of a broken marriage,
and reclaimed my rightful place within my family.
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The silence that had once defined my suffering was gone forever.
I was a Sterling,
