Chapter 9 - The Miller-Moretti Foundation
Six months passed.
The corporate nightmare that had threatened to destroy my family was completely dismantled. Victoria Vance assumed control of Vance Pharma, restructuring the company into a transparent, ethical medical research firm.
Under her leadership, my father's life work—Project M-17—was officially completed and approved by federal health agencies, providing life-saving stem cell therapies to thousands of children suffering from rare genetic blood diseases across the globe.
I used my portion of the restored estate to establish the Arthur Miller Memorial Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting young independent scientists and providing legal and financial assistance to single mothers abandoned at birth wards.
Our home in the Pines became a paradise of warm sunshine, green lawns, and endless laughter.
It was a soft Sunday afternoon.
Maya, now eight months old, was sitting on a soft wool blanket on the back lawn, wearing a bright yellow sundress, babbling happily as she played with a set of wooden building blocks.
Luka sat beside her on the grass, his dark sleeves rolled up, revealing his heavy tattoos as he carefully built a tall block tower for Maya to knock down with her chubby little hands.
Every time the tower fell, Maya let out a loud, delighted baby laugh, clapping her tiny hands together.
"Look at her, Luka," I said, walking out onto the porch holding two glasses of iced tea. "She thinks you're the funniest person on earth."
Luka looked up, his icy blue eyes shining with absolute, unfiltered joy. He lifted Maya into his broad arms, placing her securely against his chest as he stood up.
"She’s smart," Luka grinned, brushing a dark curl from Maya's forehead. "She knows her dad is a master architect."
My heart swelled with an emotion so deep, so pure, it took my breath away. He called himself her dad—not because he had to, but because he loved her with every fiber of his being.
I walked down the porch steps and stood beside them on the warm grass. Luka wrapped his free arm around my waist, pulling me close against his side.
"How are the foundation reports coming?" Luka asked softly, kissing the side of my forehead.
May you like
"Victoria just signed the expansion contracts for the new children's clinic in Chicago," I smiled, leaning my head against his shoulder. "Dad would be so proud of us, Luka."
"He’s watching us, Clara," Luka said gently, looking up at the clear blue sky over the pine trees. "He knows his daughter and granddaughter are safe."
