Chapter 5
The wind whipped across the rugged coastline as Sebastian dialed a ten-digit number he hadn't used in over a decade. He held the burner phone to his ear, his knuckles whitening as the line rang once, twice, three times. Just as he was about to lower the phone, a deep, raspy voice answered on the other end.
"Speak."
"It's Sebastian," he said, his voice unusually tight.
Silence stretched across the line for so long that Clara, sitting nearby on the sofa, held her breath. Then, a sharp intake of breath echoed through the receiver.
"Well, well. The golden boy of Sterling Enterprises," Julian’s voice sounded older, weathered by time and distance, yet laced with a familiar sardonic edge. "To what do I owe the distinct displeasure? Did Mother finally buy you a new tie, or are you calling to ask for bailout money?"
"Mother declared war," Sebastian said flatly. "She tried to force Clara—my wife—into submission. I upended her table, walked out, and she’s locked me out of the corporate board and frozen all primary assets."
Another pause, heavier this time. When Julian spoke again, all mockery had vanished from his tone. "She went after your wife? Good God, Sebastian. I thought she only used psychological warfare on her blood relatives. Did she lay hands on her?"
"She shoved her face into a dinner plate," Sebastian said, his voice dropping an octave, vibrating with restrained fury. "We're at Sea-Cliff House. Helena is moving to seize my voting shares by noon tomorrow."
"She moves fast when she feels threatened," Julian murmured, the sound of paper rustling coming through the speaker. "Listen to me, little brother. You can't beat her in her own courtroom. Her corporate lawyers have drafted airtight NDAs and asset freezes for thirty years. If you fight her on her terms, she will grind you into dust."
"Then what do we do?" Sebastian demanded, standing up and pacing across the hardwood floor. "Just roll over and let her win?"
"No," Julian said firmly. "You expose her. The entire foundation of Sterling Enterprises isn't built on legitimate commerce—it's built on an old embezzlement scandal from the late nineties that Grandfather covered up to protect the family name. The original ledger, along with the proof of how Mother orchestrated the hostile takeover of our father's estate, is sitting in the main office safe at the downtown headquarters. The combination hasn't been changed since Grandfather died."
Clara stood up from the sofa, walking over to Sebastian. "An office safe? In the middle of downtown? Helena has private security guards stationed there twenty-four hours a day. We can't just walk in."
"You don't walk in," Julian’s voice replied over the speakerphone, carrying a note of grim determination. "You let her think she’s winning. You let her invite you to a 'family reconciliation' meeting at the penthouse. She always loves to gloat before she delivers the final blow. While she's busy trying to humiliate you both in her own domain, someone else slips into the corporate office and lifts the physical ledger."
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Sebastian stopped pacing, his eyes narrowing as the strategy crystallized in his mind. "And who is going to do that?"
"I am," Julian said simply. "It’s time I came home."
