CHAPTER 16

MAIV

Maiv’s mom kissed her face. Her dad squeezed her tight, and she felt the twins’ little arms wrap around her. Over her dad’s shoulder, she saw Colin being embraced by his mother and sister. James and his aunt leaned on each other and cried.

Ana and Izzy stood apart, hugging only each other. Then Maiv saw James reach out to Ana and bring the Rivera girls into his own small circle. Izzy threw her arms around James. Izzy really was the sweetest little girl.

Tears streamed from Maiv’s eyes. She turned back to her mom. “Niam, I only entered the Contest because I thought it could help you.” Her mother squeezed her and whispered soft words. Soft words that said she was forgiven.

Maiv felt so tired she thought she might faint. “Can we go home, Niam?”

Before her mom could answer, a well-dressed white woman rushed into the conference room. She said to Agent Sydney, “These are the kids?” The FBI agent nodded.

The woman raised her voice to speak to the whole room. “James, Ana, Colin, Maiv—I’m Corinne Huffmann, the CEO of Huffmann Industries. I’ve just been informed of what’s happened. I want to say how sorry I am. My father and I aren’t on good terms, but this—”

For a moment she seemed at a loss for words. Then she pulled herself together and continued. “It’s beyond anything I expected of him. I’m horrified. I know you all want to go home. So I’ll make this brief. I’ve spoken to the executives of SolarStar and EarthWatch, and not only will they not press charges against the four of you, but in fact they consider you heroes. Because of you, their project can move forward. You probably already know by now that we’re working on a completely solar-powered car that’s more affordable and efficient than anything else on the market. You may have saved more than just a few companies.”

She smiled, and Maiv felt a tiny surge of excitement. The project wasn’t ruined.

Corinne continued, “And Huffmann Industries is equally grateful to you. I want to compensate you for what my father put you through—and reward you for your courage. Our charity foundation will be setting up a scholarship fund for each of you. You’ll each be awarded $10 million, to be paid immediately.”