Chapter 12 - The Price of Saving Everything
Saving Vance Capital required sacrifice.
Not symbolic sacrifice.
Real sacrifice.
Executive bonuses disappeared.
Several properties were sold.
Expansion stopped.
I reduced my own compensation.
The board approved a restructuring that protected the strongest projects while winding down the weakest.
There were layoffs.
I hated every one.
I met affected teams personally because I refused to hide behind an email.
Some people were angry.
They had every right to be.
Others thanked me for being honest.
That hurt even more.
Three months later, the company stabilized.
Six months later, we returned to positive operating cash flow.
The villa remained mine.
Strangely, I spent less time there.
For years it had been a symbol of everything Luca and I had built.
Now I wanted it to become simply a home.
One evening Evelyn joined me beside the lake.
“You could sell it.”
“I know.”
“Will you?”
I watched the lights across the water.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because leaving isn’t always freedom.”
She smiled.
“And staying?”
“Staying can mean reclaiming something.”
My divorce was proceeding.
There would be no twenty-minute settlement.
No rushed signature.
No quiet disappearance.
Everything would be handled properly.
Then Evelyn handed me a letter.
It was from Luca.
I almost refused it.
Almost.
Inside were four handwritten pages.
May you like
At the bottom was a request.
He wanted to meet me at the villa one final time.
