At the launch event, Sophie insisted Naomi stand beside her on stage.
“This is my friend,” Sophie told the crowd proudly. “She taught me I can still dance.”
Richard looked out at the audience—diverse, hopeful, different from the room that had once fallen silent.
He leaned toward Naomi.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “You didn’t just dance with her. You changed us.”
Naomi squeezed Sophie’s hand.
“No,” she replied softly. “She changed you. I just followed her lead.”
And Richard understood then that wealth could build buildings, but courage—especially the small, trembling kind held out in a child’s hand—could rebuild hearts.
