Tears filled her eyes.
“You don’t owe us that.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because people should remember who actually saved this place.”
Six months later, the sign went up.
SOTO HOUSE
Underneath, in smaller lettering:
Founded in 2005. Rebuilt in honor of those whose work made it possible.
Victor fought the name change from every court available to him.
He lost.
He also lost his claim that I had surrendered my majority ownership.
The corporate judge invalidated the forged transfer.
The forensic accounting grew uglier.
By the time everything was finished, Victor was ordered to surrender a substantial portion of the hidden assets and repay distributions he had taken improperly.
The divorce settlement left me with more money than I had ever imagined.
But money was not the part I cherished.
The part I cherished happened almost a year after the day Victor laughed in court.
I stood in Soto House before opening.
