Chapter 19 - The Foundation
As Vincent entered his mid-eighties, his health began to fail. Sophie essentially ran the entire holding company, having successfully severed the last remaining ties to the underworld. The Corleto name, once whispered in fear, was now associated with urban renewal and philanthropy.
Together, Sophie and Vincent established the Corleto-Corina Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing safe housing and legal protection for women and children escaping domestic violence and loan sharks.
Vincent spent his final months in a comfortable, sunlit room in his estate, surrounded by the blueprints of the youth centers Sophie was building. She visited him every evening, bringing him updates, reading to him, and sneaking in his favorite biscotti from her mother's shop.
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"You took my empire," Vincent wheezed one evening, smiling weakly from his bed, "and you turned it into a sanctuary."
"I just followed your example," Sophie whispered, holding his frail hand.
