Chapter 10 - The Ultimate Plot TwistThe Attorney General stopped in front of Grace, offering a deep, respectful bow.
Nathan frowned in confusion. “Sir? What is going on?”
Grace gently set Lily down and wiped the tears from her face. Her posture completely changed. The timid, terrified maid vanished, replaced by a woman of stunning, regal authority.
“It’s time I told you the rest of the truth, Nathan,” Grace said softly.
She turned to the Attorney General. “Did the sting operation work, Uncle Richard?”
“Perfectly, your Grace,” the man replied with a smile. “Victoria and Alejandro have both signed the merger documents under federal surveillance. They officially assumed all liabilities.”
Nathan’s jaw dropped. “Uncle Richard? Your Grace?”
Grace looked deep into Nathan’s eyes. “Five years ago, your father didn't send me away just to protect me. He found out who I really was. I am not a maid, Nathan. My real name is Lady Grace Sterling. I am the sole heiress to the Sterling Global Bank in London.”
Nathan’s head spun. Sterling Global was worth ten times the Cole empire. It was the biggest financial institution in the world.
“Alejandro’s cartel had been trying to infiltrate my family's bank for a decade,” Grace explained. “When they couldn't get to me, they targeted your father to use his shipping lines to move their contraband. Your father and I made a pact. We faked my disappearance, leaving you in the dark to keep you safe. We allowed Victoria to infiltrate your life to gather evidence of her cartel's global treason.”
“But the wedding... the company...” Nathan stammered.
“It was a trap,” Grace smiled, a brilliant, dangerous smile. “When Victoria forced you to sign the proxy forms at the altar today, she didn't inherit Cole Enterprises. Your father and I secretly transferred all of your assets into a blind trust in Lily’s name three years ago. The ‘company’ Victoria just claimed ownership of is a heavily indebted shell corporation that is currently being indicted for international terrorism. Victoria and her father didn't just steal a company today—they legally confessed to running a cartel.”
Nathan stared at the woman he had loved in secret, the woman who had scrubbed his floors in a maid’s uniform to stay close to him and their daughter, orchestrating the greatest takedown in corporate history.
Lily tugged on Nathan’s tuxedo pants. “Daddy, can we go home now?”
Nathan looked from his beautiful, brilliant billionaire of a partner to their perfect daughter. The cartel was destroyed. The empire was safe.
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He lifted Lily into his arms and pulled Grace into a passionate, breathtaking kiss.
“Yes, sweetheart,” Nathan smiled, looking at the stunned reporters flashing cameras in the distance. “Let’s go home.”
