“We did it,” he whispered.

“They’re going to prison,” I said, my voice shaking.

“Yes,” Daniel said. “And the court has already issued the emergency injunction.”

“The family empire is being legally restored to your name.”

“You can take back the Cumberland estate today.”

I looked toward the back of the courtroom.

My mother and Brooke were already gone, the heavy doors still swinging slowly in their wake.

The betrayal was still there, a heavy weight in my chest, but the ground beneath my feet finally felt solid.

The empire my grandmother had built was coming back to me.

We walked out of the courtroom and into the bright lights of the hallway.

The air felt cleaner now, though the storm still raged outside the high windows.

“I need to go to the estate,” I said to Daniel. “I need to see what they left behind.”

“I’ll drive you,” Daniel said, picking up his briefcase.

We walked down the marble stairs and out into the rain.

The black sedan from the alley was nowhere to be seen.