CHAPTER 3 — "The Night the Founder Died"
The room stayed dark.
Only the glowing screen lit Samuel Brooks’ face.
The executives stared at the photograph in horror.
Fifteen years ago, the founder of Sterling Global, Edward Sterling, had died in a mysterious fire inside his private office.
The official report said accident.
But everyone in that boardroom knew the rumors.
Edward had been killed.
And now Samuel Brooks—the old janitor—was standing beside him in the final photo ever taken.
The chairman slowly stepped back.
"You..."
His voice trembled.
"You murdered him."
Samuel didn’t flinch.
"No."
The distorted voice laughed through the speakers.
"Then tell them why you disappeared that night."
Samuel’s eyes lowered.
For the first time, the powerful old man looked broken.
Victoria turned to him.
"Mr. Brooks?"
Samuel slowly removed a folded, burned photograph from his jacket.
It showed Edward Sterling smiling beside a young woman and a little girl.
Samuel whispered,
"Because that night... I was saving his daughter."
The boardroom went silent.
Then the doors burst open.
A woman in a red coat stepped inside.
Samuel’s face went pale.
Victoria gasped.
It was Clara Sterling.
Edward’s daughter.
May you like
The girl the world believed died in the fire.
And she was pointing a gun at Samuel.
