Chapter 9 - THE UNSEEN BENEFACTOR
With Gavin and Marjorie facing trial, the Ferrante Development Group’s new green housing project moved into full construction. Sienna spent her days on site, wearing a hard hat and high-vis vest, leading a team of fifty engineers and craftsmen.
However, three months into the project, a strange discrepancy appeared in the supply chain ledgers.
"Sienna, you need to look at this," her lead site manager, David, said, handing her an invoice folder inside the site trailer. "The high-grade structural timber and reinforced glass for the community center... someone pre-paid the entire shipment in full."
Sienna frowned, scanning the invoice. "Pre-paid? By whom? The trust fund budget hadn't cleared those funds yet."
"The order came from an independent holding company called Aegis Design Standards," David explained. "They also attached a note specifically requesting that you oversee the installation."
Suspicious that this might be another lingering remnant of Gavin’s corrupt network, Sienna instructed Mark to trace the origin of Aegis Design Standards.
That evening at the manor, Mark walked into the sunlit conservatory where Nico was playing a game of chess with Mila while Sienna bottle-fed baby Elena.
"I ran the corporate registry on Aegis, Mrs. Ferrante," Mark reported, setting a printout on the coffee table. "It isn't connected to Gavin or Marjorie."
Sienna set the bottle down and picked up the sheet. "Then who owns it?"
Nico smiled quietly, moving a wooden knight across the chessboard. "Aegis was established thirty years ago by my late wife, Eleanor. It was a private endowment set aside specifically to fund architectural projects led by women who faced hardship in the industry."
Sienna looked at Nico, stunned. "You... you authorized the funding?"
"Eleanor believed that true architecture shouldn't just build walls; it should rebuild lives," Nico said softly, looking up from the board with immense warmth in his eyes. "You aren't just an employee here, Sienna. You are family. And this family supports its own."
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Mila clapped her hands happily. "Grandpa, I took your bishop!"
Nico laughed—a rich, booming sound that echoed through the glass walls of the conservatory, filling the home with a vibrant energy it had lacked for decades.
