Chapter 8 - Rebuilding the Meridian
Six months later.
The eighty-fourth floor of the Bennett Meridian tower was completely unrecognizable.
The cold chrome and dark glass Grant had installed were gone, replaced by warm mahogany, warm sunlight pouring through floor-to-ceiling windows, and vibrant green plants. The corporate culture had undergone an absolute revolution.
I had spent the last half-year restructuring the entire firm. I promoted Emily Park to Vice President of Internal Audit, giving her an independent team with direct reporting lines to the board. I restored the pensions of our dockworkers, expanded our green shipping initiatives in Europe, and stabilized our stock price, which was now trading at an all-time high of $210 per share.
The business media had dubbed it "The Bennett Miracle." I was featured on the cover of Forbes and Fortune, not as Arthur Bennett’s daughter or Grant Bennett’s ex-wife, but as Claire Bennett: The Empress of the Seas.
"Mrs. Bennett," Emily said, walking into my office carrying a fresh cup of coffee and a leather folder. "The Q2 earnings report is finalized. We've beaten consensus estimates by fourteen percent."
"Thank you, Emily," I smiled, taking the coffee. "How is the new compliance software performing?"
"Flawlessly," Emily beamed. "Not a single unauthorized dollar can move through this company without three independent authorizations."
Marcus Vance knocked on the open door and stepped inside, holding a stack of legal documents.
"Claire," Marcus said. "The final divorce decree has been executed by the court. Grant has officially surrendered all claims to any joint property, the Evanston estate, and the Bennett name. You are legally, fully, and completely free."
I took the gold pen—my father's pen—and signed the final line on the decree. A profound sense of lightness, like a heavy weight being lifted from my chest after seventeen years, washed over me.
"What about Vanessa Cole?" I asked, closing the folder.
"Given her full cooperation with federal prosecutors and her testimony against Grant, she received three years of probation and a permanent ban from working in corporate finance," Marcus replied. "She's moved back to her hometown in Iowa, working as a local retail manager."
"Good," I nodded softly. "Everyone reaps what they sow."
Marcus smiled, looking around the bright, bustling office. "So, Madam Chairman... what's next on the agenda?"
May you like
I walked over to the window, looking out over the clear blue waters of Lake Michigan. Ships bearing the gold Bennett Meridian crest were gliding smoothly across the horizon, carrying goods across the globe with pride and integrity.
"Next," I smiled, "we build."
