Chapter 7: The Foundation
Part 7: The Foundation
One year later.
The city hadn’t changed, but my place in it had.
I didn’t just return to my career.
I built my own.
I opened an independent pharmacy in the West Loop.
No corporate oversight.
No legacy money funding the lease.
Just my name on the state license hanging on the wall.
It was quiet work.
Precise.
Necessary.
Everything the Caldwell family’s chaotic empire was not.
I was standing behind the counter on a Tuesday afternoon.
Sorting inventory.
Counting exact measurements.
There is a profound peace in things that have exact measurements.
Things that do not shift depending on who is shouting.
The bell above the door chimed.
I didn’t look up immediately.
“I’ll be right with you,” I said.
I finished logging the shipment.
Then I turned around.
Standing on the other side of the counter was Morgan.
May you like
Preston’s sister.
The one who had been quietly removed from the family trusts.
