Chapter 9 - The New Foundation
Six months later.
The city of Palermo hosted the official opening of the Ricci Children’s Medical Center—a state-of-the-art pediatric hospital built entirely through funding provided by the Moretti Foundation.
The facility provided free medical care, advanced cancer treatments, and rehabilitation for impoverished children across Sicily and Southern Italy.
At the grand opening ceremony held in the hospital’s sunlit glass atrium, hundreds of guests, doctors, civic leaders, and local families gathered to celebrate.
I stood on the raised stage wearing a tailored black suit, looking out over the crowd.
Standing beside me were Clara—who had been appointed as the hospital’s chief liaison for family care—and little Emma, who held my hand tightly as camera flashes lit up the room.
When it was my turn to speak at the podium, I didn't read from a prepared speech written by publicists.
I looked out at the faces of the children sitting in the front row.
"Many people believe that power is measured by the size of an army, the depth of a bank account, or the reach of a name," I said into the microphone, my voice echoing clearly through the atrium. "I used to believe that myself."
I looked down at Emma, who offered me a big, toothy grin from the side of the stage.
"But real power," I continued, turning back to the audience, "is the ability to protect those who cannot protect themselves. It is the promise that no child in this city will ever have to build a castle alone in the dark."
The crowd erupted into prolonged, thunderous applause.
As we stepped down from the stage, Matteo approached me, holding an encrypted phone.
"Signor Moretti," Matteo reported softly. "Reports from Milan. Victor Volkov’s empire has completely collapsed under federal indictments. And Sophia Vance’s treatments at San Raffaele have entered full remission. She will walk out of the hospital next week."
May you like
I nodded slowly, satisfied. "Good. Ensure she receives a quiet scholarship to study at the university in Florence. Let her build a clean life away from her father's shadow."
"Understood, Boss."
