Chapter 3 - THE FIRST STRIKEBy 10:00 AM, the Sterling Group’s corporate headquarters downtown was in absolute chaos.
Jonathan Sterling strode through the executive glass doors, his tailored Italian suit rustling with authority, his personal assistant trailing desperately behind him with a stack of tablets.
"Mr. Sterling! Sir, you need to see this immediately," the assistant panted, thrusting a glowing screen toward him.
Jonathan didn’t break his stride. "If this is about Arthur’s little tantrums, handle it. Call our legal team. Have him hit with an emergency restraining order and file for a multi-million-dollar asset freeze. I want him bankrupt by dinner."
"Sir... it’s not Arthur," the assistant choked out, his face pale as paper. "It’s us."
Jonathan stopped dead in his tracks. He turned slowly, snatching the tablet from the trembling young man's hands. His eyes scanned the financial reports flashing red across the display.
"What is this?" Jonathan barked. "Explain this to me in plain English!"
"At 9:15 AM, three major institutional investors—Apex Capital, Vanguard Holdings, and Horizon Partners—simultaneously pulled their entire portfolios from Sterling Enterprises," the assistant stammered, reading from his notes. "That’s over four hundred million dollars in capital vanished in thirty seconds. Furthermore... the federal tax commission just flagged our subsidiary accounts for an immediate, full-scale forensic audit."
Jonathan’s blood ran cold. "That’s impossible. Apex and Horizon are locked into five-year exclusivity contracts with us! They can't just pull out without facing catastrophic penalties!"
"They paid the penalties, sir," the assistant whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of the office ventilation. "All of them. Paid in full, upfront, from an anonymous offshore trust. Whoever backed them... they have more liquidity than we do."
Jonathan’s phone rang in his pocket. With shaking hands, he pulled it out and swiped the screen.
"Dad!" Victoria’s voice screamed through the speaker, frantic and hysterical. "Dad, it’s a nightmare! I went to use my black card to buy a new dress to clear my head, and it was declined! The boutique manager laughed at me! And when I tried to log into my personal trust fund... the account has been completely wiped out! Zero balance! Who is doing this to us?!"
Jonathan gripped the edge of the glass railing, his knuckles turning white. His mind flashed back to the quiet, indifferent tone of Arthur’s voice on the phone an hour ago.
May you like
“Try.”
"Victoria," Jonathan said, his voice dropping to a gravelly whisper. "Tell me the truth. Who the hell is your husband?"
