Chapter 6 - The Cleansing FireThree days later, the rain finally stopped, leaving the Savannah Creek coastline bathed in brilliant, golden autumn sunlight.
I stood on the massive observation deck of the primary dry dock at Sterling-Vance Shipping—which was officially returning to its original name: Vance Maritime Industries. Below me, towering cranes lifted newly forged steel hulls, and the rhythmic sound of welding torches echoed across the harbor like a heartbeat returning to life.
My body was still recovering from the months of slow poisoning; the hospital detox treatments had been grueling, but every day my strength returned a little more.
Tobias walked out onto the observation deck, handing me a steaming mug of black tea—real tea, brewed fresh, without any hidden ingredients.
“The federal prosecutors accepted our plea bargain stipulations,” Tobias said, leaning against the railing beside me. “Garrett is facing a minimum of forty years without parole in a federal penitentiary upstate. Penelope’s father is disowning her, and her pregnancy turned out to be another one of her elaborate fabrications to lock down Garrett’s inheritance.”
I took a sip of the tea, letting the warmth spread through my chest. “And Arthur Sterling?”
“Stroked out in his Florida mansion when the federal freeze orders hit his accounts,” Tobias replied without a hint of remorse. “Karma doesn't miss an address, Rosalind.”
I looked over at my brother, studying the easy, powerful way he stood. No cane, no wheelchair, no hesitation.
“You know, for fifteen years, I felt guilty every time I looked at you,” I murmured softly. “I thought I was the strong one carrying you. I never realized you were the one carrying me through the darkest parts of our lives.”
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Tobias smiled, wrapping a warm arm around my shoulders. “Dad and Mom taught us well before they were stolen from us. They taught us that in our world, you never show your true strength until the wolves think they’ve already won.”
I looked back out across the sparkling harbor, watching a massive container ship glide smoothly past the breakwater toward the open ocean. The ghosts of the past had finally been laid to rest in the cold depths of the creek.
