Daria was sitting at the small café table, her eyes darting nervously as she saw me approach. She looked smaller than I remembered, her usual confident demeanor replaced with visible anxiety. She looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

“You came,” she said, her voice faint, as if surprised I showed up.

“I wasn’t sure I should,” I admitted, sitting across from her. “But I know you wouldn’t reach out unless it was important. What’s going on?”

Her hands were trembling as she held the coffee cup, but her gaze was unwavering as she locked eyes with me. “I should have called you months ago. Natasha… she’s been running this operation for years, Dez. I’ve been helping her.”

My heart sank. “Helping her?”

“Not exactly by choice.” Daria’s voice cracked as she set down her coffee cup and clasped her hands together, her knuckles white. “She’s been manipulating everyone. Isaac, me, and now you. At first, I thought I was just assisting in small ways—editing some reports, doing some administrative work. But then… she started pushing harder. Told me you were struggling, that your grief was clouding your judgment, and that I had to help her save the foundation. And I believed her. She was so convincing.”

I leaned back in my chair, my mind racing. “She’s been manipulating everyone. But why?”

“Because she’s not satisfied with controlling Isaac and his life. She wants more. The foundation. Your legacy. She thought you were a liability, a weakness. She’s been orchestrating this whole thing—Isaac’s role in the foundation, the board restructuring. It was all part of her plan to take full control, but you kept pushing back. And when you started to get too suspicious, she knew she had to move faster.”

“Faster?” I repeated, feeling the weight of her words sink in. “She’s been stealing money from my daughter’s foundation, manipulating me for months, and now she’s moving faster? What does that mean?”

Daria’s face hardened, and she looked over her shoulder as if someone might be listening. “It means she’s about to get rid of you for good. She has everything lined up—a press conference tomorrow morning to officially announce that you’ve been removed from your position. She’ll paint you as ‘emotionally unstable,’ claim that your grief has made you incapable of leading the foundation. The public will buy it. You’ll be completely discredited.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to process everything. Natasha had been quietly setting up a case against me for months. But to what end? To steal my daughter’s legacy? To erase me from the foundation I’d built in her honor?

“Daria, I don’t know if I can fight this. They’re everywhere. Isaac’s already against me. My own husband is part of this.” My voice was raw with emotion, but I couldn’t let myself fall apart. Not now. Not when I had to do something about this.

“I know,” Daria said softly. “But I think you can. I’ve seen the way they’ve been using you, manipulating your every move. You don’t need to fight alone. You still have people who care about you, Dez. People who want to see you win.”

I stared at the table, my mind running a mile a minute. There was still so much at stake. The foundation, the money, Anelise’s legacy. All of it was in the hands of the people who had betrayed me. And now, I had to take it back.

I thought about my daughter—the bright, imaginative little girl who loved to paint, the one whose life was cut short. I had been doing this for her, keeping her memory alive. But now, I realized, I wasn’t just fighting for her anymore. I was fighting for myself. For my dignity. For the truth.

“What can we do?” I asked, my voice firm.

“I’ve got a plan,” Daria said. She pulled out her phone, scrolling through it with a quick, determined motion. “I’ve been collecting evidence. Photos, emails, financial records. Natasha’s been sloppy. She thought she had control, but she didn’t count on you figuring it out.”

“How much time do we have?” I asked, my heart pounding.

“Not much,” Daria replied, her voice tight. “But we can still stop her. I’ve been talking to some people—lawyers, investigators. I’ve got enough evidence to show that Natasha has been embezzling money from the foundation. We’ll need to move fast.”

I nodded, feeling a surge of determination. I wasn’t going to let them steal my daughter’s memory. I wasn’t going to let Natasha turn the foundation into her own personal cash cow. I would fight for what was rightfully mine.

The next day, the tension in the air was unbearable as I arrived at the foundation’s office early in the morning. I knew today was going to be the day I either lost everything or took back control.

I walked into the conference room where the press conference was about to take place. There were cameras, reporters, and the familiar faces of board members—many of whom had already aligned themselves with Isaac and Natasha. I felt a wave of nausea hit me, but I pushed it down.

Isaac and Natasha were already there, standing at the podium with smiles plastered on their faces. The press was gathered around them, hanging on every word.

I walked into the room, ignoring the whispers that followed me. All eyes turned to me, and the tension was palpable.

Isaac’s face fell when he saw me. He wasn’t expecting me to show up, not after everything that had happened.

I stood at the back of the room, watching them. Natasha was trying to keep her composure, but I could see the faintest flicker of worry in her eyes. I knew it was because she wasn’t in control anymore. I was.

“Thank you all for coming,” Natasha began, her voice smooth and rehearsed. “We’re here today to discuss important changes to the leadership of the Anelise Foundation. As many of you know, Desiree’s grief has taken a toll on her ability to lead, and the board has made the difficult decision to restructure leadership to ensure that Anelise’s legacy is preserved.”

I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood up and walked to the front of the room. The room went silent as I approached the podium, my footsteps echoing in the stillness.

“Actually,” I said, my voice steady but full of authority, “I’m here to talk about what’s really been going on behind closed doors.”

The reporters looked at me, their cameras ready.

“I’ve got something to say,” I continued. “I’ve been manipulated, gaslighted, and stolen from by the people I trusted most. Natasha has been embezzling funds from the foundation for months. And my own husband, Isaac, has been helping her.”

The reporters started to murmur, but I raised my hand for silence.

“Here’s the truth,” I said, pulling out the financial documents Daria had given me. “These are the records that show Natasha’s fraudulent activities. This is the proof of her theft. And this is the email where she discusses moving assets into shell companies.”

I watched as Isaac’s face went white, and Natasha’s mask cracked, her eyes flashing with panic.

The room erupted into chaos. Reporters started firing questions at Isaac and Natasha, and security guards quickly moved in, trying to control the situation. But it was too late. The truth was out.

“I’m not done,” I said, raising my voice over the noise. “The foundation was never about the money. It was about honoring my daughter’s memory. But these people took advantage of that. And I’m here to make sure they’re held accountable.”

I walked out of the conference room, leaving Isaac and Natasha to deal with the fallout.

It wasn’t long before the media covered the full extent of the corruption at the foundation. Isaac was forced to resign, and Natasha was arrested on multiple charges of fraud and embezzlement. The foundation’s assets were frozen, but the damage was done.

As for me, I wasn’t just a grieving mother anymore. I was a woman who had fought for justice, for truth, and for my daughter’s legacy.

It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it.

The foundation would be rebuilt—on my terms. This time, it would be a place of healing, a place where children could find their voices through art, just as Anelise would have wanted.

And as for Isaac and Natasha? They had underestimated me. They thought I was weak, but I was stronger than they ever gave me credit for. And now, they were facing the consequences of their greed and betrayal.

The End!