Chapter 26 - The Gala
To fund the national expansion, we decided to host a gala.
Not the stiff, formal affairs of the old Moretti empire.
This was different.
It was a celebration of the community.
We invited the workers we had helped.
The families we had supported.
The volunteers who made the foundation run.
The ballroom was transformed.
Not with expensive floral arrangements.
But with artwork created by children from the foundation's programs.
Including, prominently displayed, Emma's abstract "family portrait."
Alessandro gave the opening speech.
He didn't talk about profits or market share.
He talked about the people in the room.
He talked about resilience.
He talked about love.
"True wealth," he said, looking at the crowd, "is not measured by what you keep. It is measured by what you give away."
The applause was deafening.
Not polite, golf-clap applause.
But genuine, heartfelt cheers.
As the music started and people began to dance, Alessandro found me.
He held out his hand.
"May I have this dance?"
I smiled and took it.
As we moved across the floor, I looked around the room.
May you like
This was our empire now.
An empire of hope.
