Daniel took her hand. You're her and me and Rebecca and every person who ever loved you. You're the best of all of us. Lily's eyes filled with tears. I don't know if I can do it, Daddy.
Run a billion-dollarar company. Continue her legacy. Be who everyone expects me to be. You don't have to be who they expect. You just have to be yourself.
Daniel squeezed her hand. That's all Victoria ever wanted. She didn't leave you a company because she wanted you to be her. She left it because she believed in who you could become. How do you know that?
Because she told me in her journal, in her letters, in everything she left behind, she wrote, "I don't want Lily to be my shadow. I want her to be my light." Lily wiped her eyes. She really said that. She really said that. Lily was silent for a long moment.
Then she nodded slowly. Okay. When I graduate, I'll start training. I'll learn everything I need to learn. And when I turn 25, you'll be ready.
I'll be ready. 3 years later, on Lily's 25th birthday, the transfer was complete. Daniel signed the final documents in the same office where Victoria had asked about his bed. Lily stood beside him, watching the pen move across paper, watching her mother's dream become reality. It's done, Bradford said quietly.
Lily Carter is now the majority owner of Hayes Enterprises. Lily stared at the documents. I don't feel any different. You won't. Not today.
Daniel set down the pen and turned to face her. But someday, maybe years from now, you'll make a decision that changes everything. You'll face a challenge that seems impossible. And you'll remember this moment. the moment your mother's faith in you became official. What if I fail?
Then you'll learn and try again. That's what Victoria did. That's what I did. That's what everyone does. Lily looked around the office.
The same view of the Chicago skyline. The same furniture. The same photo of Victoria on the wall that had been there since Daniel took over. Can I ask you something, Daddy? Anything.
Do you regret it? any of it. The company, the pressure, the years you spent fighting to protect something that wasn't even yours. Daniel thought about the question. He thought about the sleepless nights, the hostile takeovers, the moments when he'd wanted to walk away and never look back. No, he said finally.
I don't regret it. Why not? Because it led me here to this moment. watching my daughter become the woman her mother always knew she could be. Daniel's eyes glistened. Victoria asked me once if my bed was big enough for two.