“Her courage has saved this company from a legacy of corruption.”

I felt a tear slip down my cheek.

My grandfather reached over and took my hand, squeezing it tightly.

“You did it, Valerie,” he whispered. “Your mother would be so proud.”

I looked at the journalists, feeling the weight of their gazes on me.

I was no longer the girl who cleaned the brass fixtures in this room.

I was the woman who owned them.

Tomorrow morning, the legal documents would be finalized at the courthouse.

I would officially assume my role as the head of the real estate empire.

Julian stepped down from the podium, leaving the reporters shouting after him.

He walked over to me, a look of profound relief on his face.

“It is done,” Julian said.

“Thank you, Julian,” I said. “This could not have been easy for you.”

“It was the only way to save what is left of my family’s honor,” he said.

We began to walk toward the side exit, escorted by our security team.

Miranda stepped into our path, her lawyers trying vainly to hold her back.