Chapter 10 Embers and Inheritance

The courtroom was colder than Valeria expected all clean marble and steel, like a tomb made for legacy. But she didn't shiver. She sat tall, dressed in a tailored black suit, her eyes forward, jaw set. Across from her, Gianna avoided her gaze, dressed in beige like the absence of guilt. Ivana sat in a wheelchair, pale and silent, wrapped in a designer shawl like it could shield her from the coming storm.

The trial had moved quickly once the evidence went public. The forged documents, the false psychiatric diagnosis, the illegal seizure of company assets, it was all undeniable. Their lawyers spun excuses, but Valeria's team presented everything with surgical precision. Emails. Testimonies. Bank records. The video.

Still, Valeria knew reputation wasn't restored in one hearing. And legacy true legacy wasn't returned. It had to be reclaimed.

On the final day, she stood to speak. Not to plead. Not to apologize. But to finish what had begun in the fire.

"I was told I was too young," she said, her voice echoing in the silent courtroom. "Too emotional. Too soft to lead. So they took everything from me not because I was weak, but because I wasn't cruel. I was raised to believe that the name Moretti stood for beauty, for excellence, for vision. They tried to turn it into currency."

She paused, then turned slightly toward Ivana and Gianna.

"But fire reveals truth. It burns away the costume. It shows who will rise and who will turn to ash."

The judge ruled in her favor. Full control of Casa Moretti returned to her. The fake psychiatric ruling voided. The estate restored. And while Gianna faced house arrest and Ivana faded into silent disgrace, Valeria walked out not as a daughter betrayed but as the woman who redefined the empire.

Outside the courthouse, the press surged forward, a wave of microphones and lenses.

"What's next, Miss Moretti?" someone shouted.

Valeria smiled softly.

"There's no Miss Moretti anymore," she said. "There's only V. And we're just getting started."