The room cleared out, leaving only Arthur Vance, the dead body of Charles in the restroom, and Clara Hensworth, who was trembling, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the absolute destruction of the Morgan line.
Arthur Vance walked over to the digital console and pressed the final button.
The screen lit up one last time. Alexander Morgan was looking directly at the camera. His face was soft, the terrifying malice completely gone, replaced by a profound, peaceful clarity.
“Clara,” the old man’s voice said, his eyes seeming to look straight into her soul. “If you are hearing this, it means the monsters have destroyed themselves, just as I knew they would. I want to say thank you. For four years, you were the only person in this world who looked at me and didn’t see a dollar sign. You stayed with me when I didn’t know who I was. You sang to me when the darkness came. You gave me the only real love I ever had in my miserable, wealthy life.”
A tear rolled down Clara’s cheek as she stared at the screen.
“Therefore,” Alexander continued, “under the final, ironclad amendment of my estate, executed while my mind was completely lucid, I leave the entirety of the Morgan corporate shares, the real estate portfolio, the towers, the funds, and this estate—totaling twelve billion dollars—solely and unconditionally to Clara Hensworth. Arthur has the keys, Clara. Run my empire better than I did. Wash away the blood.”
The screen went black.
Arthur Vance turned around, holding out a sleek, black digital keycard and a thick leather binder of corporate seals. He bowed his head deeply to the young nurse.
“Congratulations, Ms. Morgan,” Arthur said, his voice respectful and grave. “The board of directors is waiting for your call. The empire is yours.”
Clara looked at the keycard in her hand, then looked out the window at the massive, soaring skyscrapers of Chicago. The storm had passed, leaving behind a clean, cold morning. For four years, she had been the girl who cleaned the floors for a dying billionaire.
But today, the nurse was the one who owned the city.
