Chapter 3 - The Billionaire's Threat
I sprinted through the pouring rain until I reached the towering glass structure of Sterling Corporation.
The private security guards in the lobby did not even try to stop me.
They silently escorted me to the private elevator that led directly to the penthouse roof.
The elevator doors slid open, revealing the cold, windy rooftop overlooking the entire city.
Standing at the edge of the glass balcony was an elegant man in a tailored suit.
He turned around slowly, holding an expensive glass of whiskey.
He had my exact same eyes and the exact same jawline.
"Hello, Julian," Richard Sterling said, offering a chilling, emotionless smile.
"Where is Hector?" I screamed over the howling wind.
Richard took a slow sip of his drink and chuckled softly.
"Your heroic stepfather is currently sitting in a federal holding cell," Richard replied casually.
"I simply made a phone call, and the police dug up his old arrest warrant," he explained.
I clenched my fists, stepping closer to the billionaire who had abandoned my mother.
"Hector took the blame for a building collapse twenty-five years ago," Richard stated plainly.
"He was my lead architect, but he refused to use the cheap materials I ordered," he continued.
"When the building fell, I threatened to destroy your mother's life if he did not take the fall," Richard sneered.
My entire world shattered as I realized the immense magnitude of Hector's sacrifice.
He had ruined his own brilliant career and lived in poverty just to keep me safe.
"And now, your brilliant PhD thesis is about to expose the exact same cheap materials I am using again," Richard said.
He walked over to a metal table and picked up a thick, bound copy of my academic research.
"If you publish this thesis, my new children's hospital project will be shut down," Richard warned.
He casually tossed my years of hard work over the edge of the skyscraper.
I watched in agony as the pages fluttered down into the dark city below.
"You have two choices tonight, my son," Richard offered coldly.
"You publicly admit your research was faked, and you come work for my empire," he proposed.
"Or you refuse, and Hector gets stabbed to death in his prison cell before midnight."
I stared at him with pure hatred burning in my chest.
"I will never work for you," I spat in his face.
May you like
Richard sighed deeply in fake disappointment and pulled out his cell phone.
"Kill the architect," Richard ordered into the phone before hanging up.
