Chapter 9 - The Sovereign Sovereign
By late 2026, Vance Innovations had transcended its status as a regional tech firm to become a global titan in quantum-resistant data infrastructure.
The launch of Vance-Veritas Protocol made international headlines. Governments, multinational banks, and aerospace conglomerates lined up to secure licensing agreements. The company’s valuation tripled within eighteen months, cementing my position as one of the most powerful women in the global technology sector.
I did not use my success to flex power or seek public adulation. I used it to build.
I established the Eleanor Vance Engineering Institute, a tuition-free academy dedicated to training young women from low-income backgrounds in software architecture and advanced cryptography.
One warm June evening, I hosted the grand opening gala for the Institute at the historic Portland Art Museum. The hall was filled with hundreds of guests—prominent scientists, civic leaders, young students, and media representatives.
As I stood near the glass terrace, looking out at the city lights reflecting off the bay, Arthur walked up beside me, holding a glass of sparkling water.
"A reporter from Forbes is asking for five minutes," Arthur said with a smile. "They want to know how it feels to have 'won everything.'"
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Tell them I didn't win anything, Arthur. I simply defended what was already mine."
"How are the children?" Arthur asked quietly, his tone shifting to genuine care.
"Leo and Maya are doing wonderfully," I replied, my expression softening. "The trust manager sent me their quarterly update last week. They are healthy, thriving in a lovely preschool in Vermont. Tessa is working as an office administrator for a small local accounting firm. She’s living quietly, away from the shadow of her father's scandal."
"And Preston?"
"His appeal was rejected last month," I said without a trace of malice or bitterness. "He has ten years left."
May you like
Arthur looked at me, his eyes full of warmth and pride. "You turned a poison into a cure, Greer. Not many people have the grace or the steel to do that."
"I had a great teacher," I said, raising my glass toward the night sky in a silent toast to Eleanor Vance.
