Chapter 7 - The Reckoning
"Cut his microphone! Get him out of here!" Beatrice shrieked, finally losing the legendary Sterling composure.
Julian didn't need a microphone. Marcus Vance’s team had already moved to the sides of the room, handing out thick packets of photocopied evidence to the bewildered investors and board members.
"Forty years ago, Richard and Beatrice Sterling stole the foundational patents for their eco-steel from my grandfather, Arthur Hayes," Julian announced to the room, standing just ten feet from the podium. "The signature on the 1978 buyout was forged. The handwriting analysis, the original medical records, and the notarized affidavits are in the packets you are holding."
A frantic murmur swept through the room as billionaires and hedge fund managers scrambled to open the manila folders.
Beatrice gripped the edges of the crystal podium, her knuckles turning white. "This is absurd! This is a desperate extortion attempt by a scorned boy!"
"Page four, gentlemen," Marcus Vance yelled over the noise. "You will see an emergency injunction granted by a federal judge one hour ago. Every patent tied to the Hayes name is officially frozen. Which means the Tokyo expansion Beatrice just pitched you? It's legally dead. Sterling Holdings cannot build a single structure until this is resolved."
Chaos erupted. Board members were shouting. Investors were already on their phones, frantically ordering their brokers to sell Sterling stock before the news hit the mainstream wire.
Julian didn't look at the chaos. He looked at Victoria. She was staring at the documents in her hands, reading the undeniable proof of her grandmother's cruelty. She looked up at Julian, her eyes wide with horrified realization. She finally understood who the real monster in the manor was.
Beatrice stepped out from behind the podium, her face flushed with unprecedented fury. She marched down the steps toward Julian.
"You think you can destroy me?" she hissed, stopping inches from his face, oblivious to the cameras flashing around them. "I am Beatrice Sterling. I built this city. You are nothing but a rat crawling out of the gutter."
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"No, Beatrice," Julian said softly, his eyes cold and steady. "I am Arthur Hayes's grandson. And as of this morning's injunction, my family legally owns fifty-one percent of the intellectual property that keeps your company afloat."
Julian leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper only she could hear. "I don't want to destroy you. I want to own you."
