Chapter 7 - Shadows in the Corporate Office
The penthouse office of Sterling-Vance Enterprises was bathed in the pale, cold light of dawn. Outside floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the Manhattan skyline rose into a grey, overcast sky. Inside, the massive mahogany conference table was surrounded by empty leather chairs, waiting for the board members to arrive for the emergency vote.
Julian sat alone at the far end of the table, his dark grey suit jacket replaced by a simple white shirt with rolled-up sleeves. On the polished wood before him lay the scorched diary, now carefully dried out page by page, alongside the sapphire ring Lily had carried into the gala.
Lily was asleep on a velvet sofa in the corner, wrapped in a warm wool blanket provided by the building’s sympathetic head housekeeper, who had smuggled her upstairs past the morning security shift.
The heavy oak office door swung open quietly, and Eleanor walked in. She was no longer wearing her velvet maroon dress; instead, she wore a sharp, charcoal-gray Chanel pantsuit, her dark upswept hair meticulously redone. She looked every bit the ruthless corporate strategist she had always been.
“The board will be here in twenty minutes,” Eleanor said without preamble, walking over to the coffee machine and pouring herself a black cup. “Marcus tells me you spent the entire night playing detective in the basement.”
Julian didn't look up from the diary. “Marcus confessed to tracking them. He admitted he knew where Caroline was living.”
Eleanor took a slow sip of her coffee, her face expressionless. “Marcus did what was necessary to protect our assets. If you had married Caroline back then, there would be no Sterling-Vance. You’d still be working out of a rented garage.”
“She loved me for who I was, Eleanor,” Julian said quietly, finally looking up to meet his wife’s cold gaze. “Not for what I owned.”
“Love is a luxury for people who don't run empires, Julian,” Eleanor replied sharply, setting her cup down with a loud clack on the glass table. “That girl is a pawn. Even if she is your biological child—which has not been legally proven—she has no claim to this company. The trust was signed over to me a decade ago.”
Julian stood up slowly, leaning against the edge of the mahogany table. “I don't care about the company, Eleanor. I care about the truth. And I care about what happened to the woman I loved.”
“The truth is a liability,” Eleanor stepped closer, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. “If you pursue this, I will invoke the morality clause in our prenuptial agreement. I will strip you of your shares, your title, and your legacy before the clock strikes noon.”
Before Julian could answer, the office doors burst open wide, and Marcus Vance strode in, his face pale and sweating profusely, holding a flashing tablet in his hand.
May you like
“Julian... Eleanor... You need to see this right now,” Marcus stammered, holding the tablet out. “The federal regulators just frozen all our corporate accounts.”
---
