Chapter 7 - THE SHOCKWAVE AT HOMEWhile the corporate machinery of Sterling Corporation began systematically dismantling my father's business irregularities, the domestic machinery of my family was in full-scale meltdown.
By Tuesday afternoon, my phone had finally stopped buzzing with calls from Mom and Dad, replaced instead by a chillingly formal text message from Lois’s lawyer—or someone pretending to be one. It was a poorly drafted threat of legal action for "defamation of character, emotional distress, and corporate sabotage."
I forwarded the text directly to Miles while sitting at my office desk.
Ten minutes later, my phone rang. It was an unknown number with a Washington D.C. area code.
I answered cautiously. "Hello?"
"Serena?" a cold, crisp voice inquired. "This is Jonathan Vance, Senior General Counsel for Sterling Corporation."
I sat up straight in my office chair, my heart doing a sudden flutter. "Oh. Hello, Mr. Vance."
"I'm calling to inform you that our legal department has reviewed the correspondence sent to you by Lois Miller’s supposed legal counsel." There was a brief, dry pause on the line. "We ran a background check on the attorney whose name was on the letterhead. He’s a real estate closing lawyer in Bridgeport who hasn't practiced civil litigation since 2012."
I couldn't help a small snort of laughter. "Of course he is."
"Furthermore," Vance continued, his tone entirely professional, "Sterling Corp's legal team has issued a formal cease-and-desist letter to Lois Miller regarding her fraudulent use of our corporate branding and internal titles. We have also formally notified Arthur Miller that his company's current municipal contracts are suspended pending the completion of our federal compliance review."
"Is... is my father's firm going to survive the audit?" I asked, a sudden, unexpected pang of empathy catching in my throat. Despite everything, they were still my family.
"That depends entirely on how many forged ledgers they shredded over the weekend," Vance replied bluntly. "Mr. Sterling Jr. instructed me to ensure that you are fully protected from any fallout. If your family attempts to contact you or harass you further, notify my office immediately, and we will handle it at the corporate level."
"Thank you, Mr. Vance."
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"Have a pleasant afternoon, Serena."
The line went dead. I stared at my phone for a long moment, the magnitude of what had happened washing over me. The invisible tether that had bound me to my family's expectations for thirty years hadn't just been cut—it had been blown up with C-4.
