Chapter 12 - THE WOMAN WHO REFUSED REVENGE
After the judgment, reporters asked whether I wanted Vanessa punished.
I answered carefully.
“I want accountability. I want accurate records. And I want my father's work returned.”
One journalist asked:
“Do you hate her?”
I thought about it.
Then shook my head.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because hatred would make her the center of my life.”
I looked toward the cameras.
“And she isn't.”
The criminal investigation into the warehouse fire and related records continued separately.
Richard Bellmont faced serious questions about the provenance of several collections.
His company underwent extensive review.
Vanessa's marriage to Adrian ended.
The public scandal followed her for months.
But I stopped watching.
I had work to do.
The Tre Vite collection was returned under controlled conditions.
Conservators inspected every piece.
Two hundred and thirty-eight of the original two hundred and forty glasses remained intact.
Two were missing.
I didn't know where they had gone.
May you like
But I had recovered almost everything.
And for the first time since my father's death, I felt something resembling peace.
