Chapter 4 - THE STERLING WRATH
Dominic sat alone in the center of the room,
surrounded by the ruins of his ambition and the dark-suited men who were already beginning to tag the furniture.
The guests had fled like rats from a sinking ship,
leaving behind half-eaten hors d'oeuvres and the lingering scent of expensive perfume.
The elevators opened once more,
and this time,
three men stepped out.
My brothers.
Victor,
Julian,
and Marcus Sterling.
They walked with a synchronized authority that made the room feel smaller,
their faces grim and unforgiving.
Victor walked straight to me,
checking Sophia’s face before looking at the man on the floor.
"Is he bothering you,
Viv?"
Victor asked,
his voice low and dangerous.
"He's not doing anything,
Victor,"
I replied,
feeling the strength of my brothers behind me.
"He doesn't have anything left to do."
Julian,
the financier,
stepped toward Dominic and tossed a folder onto his lap.
"That’s the summary of the forensic audit,
Dominic.
You’ve been skimming from the Sterling investments for years to pay for that villa in Tuscany and the other woman’s jewelry."
Dominic didn't even open the folder.
He knew what was inside.
"I’ll pay it back,"
he whispered.
"With what?"
Marcus asked,
the brother who handled the legal problems.
"The police are downstairs,
Dominic.
Bigamy is just the beginning.
Embezzlement,
tax evasion,
and corporate espionage are going to keep you busy for the next twenty years."
I watched as the final sparks of defiance left Dominic’s body.
He looked small,
shriveled,
a man who had tried to play a game he didn't understand against people who had invented the rules.
"Sophia,"
Dominic said,
reaching out a hand toward his daughter.
Victor stepped in the way,
his shadow falling over Dominic like a shroud.
"You don't get to speak to her,"
Victor said.
"You don't get to even look at her.
From this moment on,
you are a ghost."
I felt a strange sense of closure as I watched my brothers take charge.
They were the monsters under the bed for most people,
but for me,
they were the walls of a fortress I should have never left.
I looked at the penthouse,
the gold leaf on the ceiling,
the marble floors,
and the view of the city I had once thought was our kingdom.
It was all hollow.
It was all a stage set for a play that had finally reached its final act.
"Let's go home,
Vivienne,"
Julian said,
putting an arm around my shoulders.
I took a deep breath,
the air finally feeling clean as the scent of bourbon and cigar smoke began to fade.
"Wait,"
I said.
I walked over to the puddle on the floor and picked up the paper necklace.
It was soaked in alcohol and markers were bleeding,
but I carefully wiped it off with my sleeve.
"This stays with me,"
I said.
I turned my back on Dominic,
the man who had been my husband,
my partner,
and my greatest mistake.
As I walked toward the elevator with my family,
May you like
I didn't feel like a victim.
I felt like a Sterling.
