Chapter 4 - The Matriarch's Blackmail
I stared at the security image of the glass vial, my mind racing through a hundred terrifying scenarios.
Julian was not just trying to steal my company and lock me in a psychiatric ward.
He was actively planning to murder me if the legal avenues completely failed.
Evelyn immediately advised me to contact the police and request protective custody.
I refused, knowing that the corrupt judge on the Sterling payroll could easily intercept me at the precinct.
I told Marcus to track Julian's current location while Evelyn worked on freezing my corporate assets from the inside.
I had to personally authorize a total systemic lockdown of my company to prevent the wire transfer from completing.
I left Evelyn's office and drove my vehicle into the private underground parking garage of my corporate headquarters.
I took the private executive elevator directly to the top floor, praying that I was not too late.
The glass doors to my executive suite slid open silently.
I froze perfectly still in the entryway of my own office.
Beatrice Sterling was sitting casually behind my massive mahogany desk.
She was sipping sparkling water from my personal crystal glasses, looking as elegant and unbothered as ever.
I demanded to know how she had bypassed my building's security detail.
Beatrice smiled warmly, the kind of fake smile a predator gives its trapped prey.
She calmly explained that the security team was very accommodating to the mother of the new Chief Executive Officer.
I firmly stated that Julian was not the CEO and never would be.
Beatrice slowly opened a thick leather folder resting on the center of my desk.
She pushed a stack of highly sensitive, completely fabricated accounting documents toward the edge of the wood.
She told me that unless I restored their personal bank accounts, these documents would be sent directly to the federal authorities.
The forged papers perfectly framed my company for years of massive tax evasion and international money laundering.
I realized the Sterling family was far more dangerous and organized than I had ever imagined.
They had built a flawless trap to completely destroy my life if I refused to surrender my wealth.
I subtly reached into my jacket pocket and pressed the record button on my smartphone.
I asked Beatrice if she was truly willing to destroy an innocent woman just to maintain her country club membership.
Beatrice laughed softly, completely unfazed by my moral questioning.
She stated that innocence meant absolutely nothing in a world ruled by power and reputation.
She admitted freely that Julian had forged the documents and that the medical petition was a total lie.
I kept my face perfectly neutral, knowing my phone was capturing her entire arrogant confession.
I told her that I would never surrender my empire to a family of pathetic parasites.
Beatrice simply sighed, closing the leather folder with a sharp, echoing snap.
She looked at her expensive diamond watch and gave me a look of genuine pity.
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She informed me that my defiance was completely irrelevant now.
Beatrice revealed that Arthur was currently in the boardroom down the hall, holding an emergency shareholder vote to permanently remove me from power.
