Chapter 14 - The ReconstructionKatherine reached across the old wooden table, her warm, calloused hand wrapping gently around her son’s shaking fingers.
"The company was never the point, Daniel," Katherine said, her voice soft but firm.
"I didn't take your shares because I wanted to punish you. I took them because you were drowning in your own ambition. You were letting a woman who didn't love you define your worth, and you were letting your father’s memory be turned into a tool for corporate greed."
"I know," Daniel wept, his shoulders shaking. "I lost everything, Mom. Vanessa took the baby. She won't even let me see him."
"She will," Katherine said, a sharp, determined light returning to her eyes. "Miriam and I have already filed a custody petition. Vanessa’s family is currently under federal investigation for tax evasion, and she has no stable income. The court will award joint custody within the month. You will see your son, Daniel. But you will raise him here, on Elm Street, until you can afford to buy a home with your own earned wages."
Daniel looked at his mother, his expression a mixture of awe and profound gratitude. "You... you did that for me? After what I did?"
"A mother’s love isn't a business transaction, Daniel," Katherine said, a soft, beautiful smile breaking across her face. "It doesn't end when the contract is violated. It simply changes its strategy."
May you like
She stood up, walking over to the cabinet, pulling out two old ceramic mugs.
"Now, drink your tea," she said. "We have a lot of work to do. The new software patch for the environmental prototype needs to be written, and you are the only programmer I trust to get it right."
