Three months later, the main headquarters of Vance Enterprises was buzzing with energy under the morning sun. The sleek glass skyscraper in downtown Chicago looked out over the sparkling blue waters of Lake Michigan.
Chloe stood in the corner executive office on the fortieth floor, wearing a sharp navy blue business suit with her hair pulled back in a professional bun.
A soft knock sounded at the heavy oak door, and Mr. Harrison walked in holding a legal folder and two cups of hot coffee.
Mr. Harrison: Good morning, Chairman Vance. I have the final police report regarding Victoria's sentencing hearing.
Chloe: Good morning, Mr. Harrison. What did the judge decide?
Mr. Harrison: Victoria accepted a full plea deal this morning. She pled guilty to all counts of wire fraud and grand larceny.
Chloe: Did the court recover the offshore funds?
Mr. Harrison: Every single cent. The Cayman Islands account has been completely liquidated, and the one point two million dollars has been wired back into our operational trust.
Chloe: What about her prison sentence?
Mr. Harrison: She was sentenced to seven years in a state federal penitentiary with no option for early parole before five years.
Chloe looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the sailboats gliding across the lake in the bright sunlight.
Chloe: Did she say anything in court?
Mr. Harrison: She tried to blame her lawyers, her accountants, and even your father. But the judge cut her off and called her actions calculating and cruel.
Chloe: She thought money was the only thing that gave a person power. She never understood that loyalty and truth are what really last.
Mr. Harrison: Speaking of loyalty, the union representatives from our Ohio manufacturing plant sent over a gift for your office this morning.
Mr. Harrison set a small wrapped box on her glass desk, along with a signed card from all four hundred factory workers.
Chloe sat down in her leather chair, carefully opening the box to reveal a beautifully carved wooden clock with an brass plaque engraved at the bottom.
The plaque read: 'To Chloe Vance — Thank you for protecting our families when we needed it most.'
Chloe: This is... this is wonderful.
Mr. Harrison: The workers know that if Victoria had won, three hundred jobs would have been eliminated by now. You saved their livelihoods, Chloe.
Chloe: My father built this company for those families, Mr. Harrison. As long as I am sitting in this chair, no one will ever take advantage of them again.
Mr. Harrison: The quarterly earnings report comes out at noon today. We are up fourteen percent across all divisions.
Chloe: Let's make sure five percent of those profits go directly into the employee pension fund as an end-of-year bonus.
Mr. Harrison: I will draft the paperwork right away, Chairman.
Mr. Harrison smiled warmly, turning and walking out of the office as Chloe picked up her coffee cup and looked back out over the city skyline.