Chapter 1 - The Sterling Deed
The man swallowed hard and looked at the crowded street.
“And now, we want to give you the world,” he whispered softly.
Shiomara stared at the heavy document resting on her weathered cart.
Her calloused fingers traced the raised gold seal at the bottom of the page.
It was not a deed to a small house or a comfortable apartment.
The paper clearly stated she was now the sole owner of the Sterling Tower.
She knew that name because it was the tallest, most expensive skyscraper in the entire city.
“This is a mistake,” Shiomara said while pushing the envelope back toward him.
The woman with the gray hair gently placed her warm hand over Shiomara’s trembling fingers.
“My name is Maya, and these are my brothers, Leo and Julian,” she explained with a tearful smile.
“We built a three-billion-dollar empire, and we want you to have the crown jewel.”
Shiomara shook her head, unable to process the insane reality of the moment.
“I only gave you leftover rice and beans,” the old vendor pleaded.
Leo, the man in the blue suit, looked at her with fierce devotion.
“You gave us hope when the rest of the city left us to die,” Leo stated firmly.
Before Shiomara could argue again, the deafening roar of a heavy engine shattered the emotional moment.
A massive black armored SUV aggressively jumped the curb and smashed directly into the white Rolls-Royce.
Glass shattered into the cold air as terrified pedestrians screamed and scattered in every direction.
Four men in heavy tactical gear stepped out of the black vehicle holding suppressed assault rifles.
Julian grabbed Shiomara by the waist and pulled her hard behind the stainless steel food cart.
High-caliber bullets tore through the rice cooker, sending hot steam and metal flying everywhere.
Leo pulled a sleek silver pistol from his tailored jacket and fired back at the masked attackers.
“They tracked us!” Maya yelled over the deafening gunfire.
Julian kicked open the back door of the remaining black Rolls-Royce and shoved Shiomara safely inside.
“Drive right now!” Julian screamed to the terrified chauffeur.
The luxury car tires squealed in protest as they tore away from the destroyed food cart.
Shiomara gasped for air on the leather seats, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.
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She looked out the back window and realized the tactical mercenaries were not driving ordinary vehicles.
The men shooting at them were driving marked police cruisers.
