Chapter 3
As summer turned into autumn,
Mave decided it was time to find her own purpose in this new world.
She had lived in survival mode for twenty-seven years,
scraping by on tips,
dodging eviction notices,
and shrinking away from anyone who looked at her too closely.
Now,
she had endless resources,
a man who loved her fiercely,
and a voice that she was no longer afraid to use.
She sat at the massive dining table,
surrounded by stacks of legal documents and financial reports,
drinking her third cup of chamomile tea.
Landon walked into the room,
loosening his silk tie,
and leaned over her shoulder to inspect the paperwork.
"What is all this?"
he asked,
pressing a soft kiss to her neck.
"I want to start a foundation,"
Mave explained,
turning around to face him with a bright spark in her eyes.
"For people who are trapped in debt,
for families who have been sold out by the people supposed to protect them."
Landon looked at the papers,
and then he looked at her,
his expression filled with absolute awe.
"You want to fight the system,"
he said,
a small smile playing on his lips.
"I want to break the system,"
she corrected him,
tapping her pen against a heavy stack of ledgers.
"I know how those loan sharks operate,
and I know how they target the desperate,
because they targeted my mother."
Landon pulled out a chair,
and sat down beside her,
giving her his complete and undivided attention.
"Whatever you need,"
he promised,
his voice steady and unwavering.
"Money,
lawyers,
office space,
it is all yours."
Mave shook her head,
and reached out to cover his hand with hers,
her heart swelling with gratitude.
"I don't want you to just hand it to me,"
she told him softly,
but firmly.
"I need to build this myself,
with my own name,
so that I know it belongs to me."
Landon understood,
because he knew the scars she carried from a lifetime of being treated as collateral,
and he respected her fierce need for independence.
"Then I will be your first investor,"
he compromised,
lifting her hand to press a kiss to her knuckles.
"And I will stand right behind you,
while you change the world."
Mave smiled,
and she felt a tear of pure joy slip down her cheek,
wiping it away before it could fall.
She spent the next three months working tirelessly,
hiring a team of aggressive young lawyers,
and setting up a safe haven in the city for victims of financial abuse.
She named it The Donnelly Center,
reclaiming the name her father had tainted,
and washing it clean with her own hard work.
When they opened the doors for the first time,
June stood on her left,
and Landon stood on her right,
and Mave cut the red ribbon with a pair of golden scissors.
She looked out at the small crowd of reporters and supporters,
and she did not feel small,
or invisible,
or ashamed.
May you like
She was a force of nature,
and she was finally exactly where she was meant to be.
