Three months later, the top-floor penthouse office looked out over the entire city sky[cite: 1]. The glass walls were spotless, reflecting the bright morning sun across the marble floor[cite: 1].
Victoria sat behind a massive black granite desk, reviewing the quarterly financial earnings report. Her face was completely healed, with not a single scar remaining.
Assistant: Miss Evans? Your father is here to see you[cite: 1].
Victoria: Send him in.
Arthur walked into the office, carrying two cups of hot coffee and a morning newspaper. He placed one cup on her desk and laid the paper flat.
The front-page headline read: *JULIAN VANCE SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR FRAUD AND ASSAULT.*[cite: 1]
Arthur: Thought you might want to frame that.
Victoria: I don't need to frame it, Dad. His name isn't worth space on my wall[cite: 1].
Arthur: How are the stock prices holding up?
Victoria: Up thirty percent since we launched the new ethics initiative. The board is happier than ever.
Arthur: And Evelyn's estate sale?[cite: 1]
Victoria: Everything was auctioned off yesterday to cover her unpaid debts. I bought back my mother's original jewelry collection[cite: 1].
Arthur smiled, sitting down in the leather chair across from her.
Arthur: You built an empire out of a disaster, Victoria[cite: 1].
Victoria: They thought I was weak because I stayed quiet for so long[cite: 1]. They forgot who raised me[cite: 1].
She looked out the high glass windows at the city below, taking a slow sip of her coffee[cite: 1]. The modern dining room where she had once bled was now just a distant memory[cite: 1].
Victoria: No one will ever put me on my knees again[cite: 1].
Arthur: Never[cite: 1].
They sat in peaceful silence as the sun rose higher over the city, casting a brilliant gold light across the office[cite: 1]. Victoria was no longer surviving—she was ruling[cite: 1].