Chapter 4
Marcus reached out and gently took the smartphone from Eleanor’s hand, his thumb resting briefly over her knuckles in a silent gesture of gratitude. He stared down at the screen, watching the white powder dissolve into the bubbling golden liquid with chilling clarity. The absolute calm of the older man was far more terrifying than any outward display of rage. Julian watched Marcus’s face, searching for a sign of weakness, a crack in the billionaire’s facade, but found only the cold calculation of an apex predator cornering its prey.
“Security,” Marcus said, his voice carrying effortlessly across the cavernous room.
The two guards who had been standing rigidly by the mahogany doors sprang into action, marching briskly across the marble floor. They flanked Julian immediately, their heavy hands resting purposefully on either side of the groom’s expensive black velvet shoulders. Julian flinched beneath their grip, his haughty demeanor entirely evaporated, leaving behind a pathetic shell of a man accustomed to buying his way out of trouble.
“You can’t do this!” Julian protested, his voice cracking into a high-pitched whine as the guards began to steer him backward toward the exit. “We are family! Think of the press! Think of the stock prices!”
“You are nothing,” Marcus replied coldly, not even bothering to look at him as he was hauled away. “You are a trespasser who forgot his place. Clara, pull yourself together.”
Clara leaned against a nearby round table, the floral centerpiece shaking violently from her trembling hands. The guests were beginning to murmur anxiously, reaching for their purses and suit jackets, eager to escape the sinking ship of the Sterling-Vance wedding reception. The illusion of perfection had shattered beyond repair, leaving behind a stark, ugly reality of greed, deceit, and narrow escape. Eleanor stood quietly to the side, quietly pocketing her phone as Marcus turned his attention back to her.
“Eleanor,” Marcus said, stepping closer to the young waitress. “You saved my daughter’s life tonight. You saved my entire company from a catastrophic hostile takeover disguised as a tragedy. I don't know how to adequately compensate you for what you’ve done.”
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“I just did what any decent person would do, Mr. Sterling,” Eleanor replied humbly, adjusting the collar of her maid uniform. “I don't need a reward. I just want to make sure the police get this evidence.”
“They will,” Marcus promised, his eyes flashing with grim determination. “And much more than that. This isn't over, Eleanor. Not by a long shot.”
