Luke was appointed interim head of strategy while he continued his university studies, and I took the presidency of the board.

The press turned the gala into a massive national scandal. Brenda was arrested for attempted poisoning, corporate fraud, and embezzlement. The private investigator testified, the bank accounts spoke, the audio recordings spoke, and the cup of broth spoke louder than all of them.

Christopher never came to visit me, but he sent a four-page apology letter. I didn’t even finish reading it. Some apologies can’t be expressed with words when the damage has been done for years.

One afternoon, after Phoenix Group’s first successful public showing, Luke and I went out onto the balcony of our new corporate office on Wilshire Boulevard.

The city glittered beautifully below us.

“Mom,” my son said with a smile, “the official letter from Harvard finally arrived today.”