Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Claiming the Ruins
Six months later, Blackthorn Manor no longer belonged to Adrian Vale.
The federal government had seized his assets to pay off the massive fines and the victims of his corporate fraud. The crown jewel of his portfolio, the sprawling, intimidating estate where he had ruled like a tyrant, was put up for a quiet auction.
It was not sold to another billionaire looking for a summer home. It was not sold to a socialite or a foreign investor. It was not sold to anyone from Adrian’s world.
Evelyn bought it.
Backed by her father’s quiet wealth and a newly formed anonymous trust, she purchased the deed to her former prison. When the final paperwork was signed, the real estate agent handed over the heavy iron keys, completely unaware of the poetic justice occurring in his office.
May you like
Evelyn drove up the winding, tree-lined driveway of the estate alone. She stopped the car and looked at the imposing stone facade. It no longer looked like a monster waiting to swallow her whole. It just looked like a building. A building made of stone and glass, waiting for a new purpose.
She had legally donated the entire property to a foundation she had spent the last six months building from the ground up: a sanctuary for women rebuilding their lives after escaping abusive marriages.
