Chapter 2
The color drained entirely from Clara’s face, leaving her looking remarkably like a ghost caught trespassing. Her hand slowly slipped away from Julian’s arm as the reality of Arthur Sterling’s identity crashed down upon her. Julian stepped back, his eyes darting wildly between his former father-in-law and his new partner, the golden-boy facade he wore completely shattered.
"Mr. Sterling," Julian stammered, his voice pitching upward in sheer panic. "I didn't... we didn't realize..."
"Clearly," Arthur interrupted, his tone chillingly polite. He stood at full height, towering over Julian. "Ignorance is often the loudest companion of ambition. My daughter signed her divorce papers three days ago, freeing herself from a sinking ship. It appears you climbed aboard just as the water reached the deck, Julian."
Valeria stood up smoothly from the table, her presence commanding the entire space. She smoothed the lapels of her beige blazer and picked up her beige handbag, her gaze locking onto Julian one last time.
"Take good care of it," Valeria said, her voice dripping with a lethal, icy elegance as she passed the frozen couple. "You seem to like things other women already decided to leave behind."
Without another glance, Valeria walked away toward the private exit, her heels clicking rhythmically against the polished marble floor. Arthur followed her closely, leaving Julian and Clara stranded in the center of the upscale dining room under the heavy, scrutinizing gazes of the surrounding patrons.
Clara spun around to face Julian, her eyes flashing with sudden fury.
"You told me her family had nothing!" Clara hissed, her voice rising in a sharp, desperate octave. "You said she was just a struggling artist with zero backing!"
"She hid it!" Julian pleaded, grabbing her arm. "Her father changed his last name legally in the corporate registry years ago! I didn't know until today either!"
"Shut up!" Clara yanked her arm away, her face flushing bright red. "You absolute fool! You traded a billionaire's daughter for a broken man with mounting tax debts!"
Julian stared at her, the mask of affection he had worn for months completely dissolving into sheer desperation.
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"Clara, wait, we can fix this," Julian whispered, chasing after her as she stormed toward the elevator. "Sterling Enterprises still partners with my firm. I can leverage—"
Before Julian could finish his sentence, his phone buzzed violently in his suit pocket. He pulled it out with trembling fingers, expecting a routine corporate alert. Instead, it was an urgent email from his senior partner. The subject line read: Immediate Termination and Audit. Julian froze in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat as the screen loaded a PDF detailing his freezing accounts and missing firm assets.
