Chapter 12 - Adrian’s Vengeance
The dismantling of Gideon Vale’s syndicate made national financial news. Federal regulators stepped in to audit every hospitality group linked to the shell companies, ensuring that corporate governance across Edmonton was thoroughly cleansed of corruption. Keith Alderman received a twenty-year prison sentence for his role in the arson and corporate fraud conspiracy, while Gideon Vale faced multiple felony counts carrying life-altering prison time with no possibility of parole.
With the legal storm finally clearing, Adrian and I returned to the empty parking lot of Marigold—the exact spot where I had stood barefoot in the freezing February dark counting my losses months earlier. Heavy construction equipment now surrounded the charred skeleton of the building, accompanied by newly erected architectural blueprints bearing my name and Voss Hospitality backing.
Adrian handed me a brown envelope labeled Ownership Documents containing the full, unencumbered deed to the newly expanded property, free of all mortgages and loans. "Your mother’s house is fully paid off, Ellie," Adrian said softly, standing close in the crisp morning air. "And Marigold is ready to rise again, exactly as you dreamed it."
