Chapter 5 - The Queen Takes Her ThroneThe snow was falling heavily as I stepped out of the Sterling mansion for the very last time. The bitter winter air felt crisp, clean, and entirely liberating. Behind me, the screams of frantic relatives and the flashing red-and-blue lights of federal cruisers painted the snowy lawn in eerie hues.
A sleek black Maybach idled at the curb. The rear door opened instantly, and a gloved hand reached out to steady my elbow.
“Welcome back, Madam CEO,” the driver said respectfully.
I slid into the plush leather interior, shaking off the cold. Waiting inside was a woman with sharp, aristocratic features and piercing emerald eyes—Victoria Vance, the ruthless billionaire investor and majority shareholder of Sterling Global.
“It looks like the trash has been successfully taken out,” Victoria said, pouring two glasses of vintage champagne from the built-in mini-bar and handing me one. She clinked her crystal flute against mine. “Congratulations, Elena. The board meeting is scheduled for 9:00 AM tomorrow. You hold fifty-one percent of the voting shares. The company is officially yours.”
I took a slow sip of the champagne, letting the bubbly warmth spread through my chest. For five years, Evelyn had treated me like an uneducated nobody—a charity case her son had dragged home from a modest background. She never bothered to look at my resume, my Harvard Business degree, or the fact that my late grandfather had been the primary venture capitalist who founded Sterling Global alongside Evelyn’s late husband.
When my grandfather passed away, he left his controlling stake in trust to me, stipulating that I must work my way through the company incognito for five years to test my mettle before claiming the throne. Evelyn thought she was tormenting a helpless subordinate. In reality, she was torturing her future boss.
“How are Daniel and Evelyn taking the asset freeze?” I asked calmly, watching the flashing lights of the mansion fade in the rearview mirror.
“Absolute ruin,” Victoria smirked, adjusting her diamond brooch. “Not only are their personal accounts completely drained to pay back the government fines, but the media has already caught wind of the scandal. The headlines tomorrow morning will destroy what's left of their social standing.”
My phone buzzed in my coat pocket. It was a text message from an unknown number. I opened it.
“Elena, please. I’m freezing. They put me in a holding cell. Talk to the prosecutor. I’ll do anything. Please don't leave me.” — Daniel.
I stared at the screen for three seconds, feeling absolutely nothing. No anger. No sorrow. Just hollow indifference.
May you like
I blocked the number, turned off the phone, and tossed it into the side pocket of my bag.
With the empire now under my absolute control, what kind of terrifying surprise did I have waiting for Evelyn and Daniel when they finally faced their first court hearing?
