Chapter 6 - The New DynastyThree months later, the headlines in the Chicago Financial Gazette read:
“RISE OF THE EMPRESS: HOW ARIA APPLETON DISMANTLED THE MONTGOMERY EMPIRE AND BUILT A FORTUNE.”
The old Montgomery estate in Lake Geneva had been purchased at public auction by Appleton-Vanguard Holdings. The grand mansion was no longer a monument to old-money snobbery; it was being converted into a sprawling philanthropic foundation dedicated to supporting single mothers and underprivileged entrepreneurs trying to build businesses from scratch—the exact position I had been in five years earlier.
Eleanor Montgomery had retreated into obscurity, living in a modest suburban condo after her personal assets were seized to cover unpaid corporate debts. Ethan was currently awaiting trial on federal wire fraud and embezzlement charges, his high-society friends having completely erased his number from their phones.
And me?
I sat on the wide stone veranda of my penthouse overlooking the glittering Chicago skyline, holding a cup of hot chamomile tea.
The sun was setting, painting the clouds in brilliant shades of violet and gold. Inside the penthouse living room, loud crashes and gleeful laughter echoed off the walls.
"Die, T-Rex! Rawr!" Caleb shouted, launching a plastic dinosaur across the rug.
"Don't throw toys in the living room, baby," I called out gently with a smile.
"Mommy! Noah took my Lego tower!" Liam yelled dramatically, running over to bury his face in my skirt, his dark wavy hair catching the evening light.
I set my tea down, scooped Liam up into my arms, and buried my face in his neck, breathing in the sweet scent of shampoo and childhood. Noah and Caleb ran over a second later, climbing up onto the lounge chair to squeeze beside us in a tangled pile of energetic limbs and infectious giggles.
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My phone buzzed on the glass coffee table. It was an email from Margaret Sterling containing the final acquisition papers for the remaining Montgomery commercial real estate holdings.
I didn't even open it. I turned the phone face down, wrapped my arms tightly around my three boys, and kissed the top of Liam’s head.
