Part 15
Two months passed, and Sofia’s weekly video calls became the highlight of my existence.
She would show me the progress on her design projects, her apartment now filled with colorful sketches and fabric samples.
She had made friends with a group of international students, and they often spent weekends exploring the English countryside.
But back home, the legal echoes of the trial still required some final maintenance.
Alexander called me one afternoon, asking me to meet him at his lawyer’s downtown office.
When I arrived, he handed me a set of finalized documents regarding Carmen's seized assets.
Because Carmen’s business had been built partly on fraudulent schemes that targeted Sofia, the court had ordered restitution.
A significant portion of Carmen’s remaining bank accounts and real estate holdings had been liquidated.
The funds were being transferred directly into a trust fund for Sofia’s future.
"She will never have to worry about financial independence again," Alexander explained, a satisfied smirk on his face.
"Carmen tried to steal Sofia's future to secure her own, and now, the exact opposite has happened."
I looked at the paperwork, feeling a profound sense of poetic justice.
Carmen was currently serving her sentence in a maximum-security facility, stripped of her fancy clothes and high society status.
Javier’s appeals had all been swiftly denied, and he was adjusting to the harsh reality of a six-year prison term.
They had thought they were smarter, richer, and more powerful than a young girl and her fractured family.
They had drastically underestimated the lengths to which a mother and father would go to protect their daughter.
"Let's call Sofia and tell her the news," I suggested, pulling out my phone.
When Sofia answered and heard about the restitution, she didn't celebrate the money.
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She simply smiled and said, "Use it to sponsor a charity for young women who need legal aid. I don't want a single penny of Carmen's wealth."
Her words left both Alexander and me speechless, deeply humbled by her grace and integrity.
