Chapter 7 - No Mercy
The next few days were a whirlwind of legal filings and corporate restructuring.
My brothers moved with a precision that was breathtaking to watch.
They didn't just fire Dominic,
they dismantled his reputation.
The news of the scandal hit the front pages of every financial journal.
"The Man Who Tried to Cheat a Sterling,"
the headlines read.
Nobody would touch Dominic now.
He was a corporate pariah,
a man whose name was a warning to every other ambitious social climber.
Arthur and Elena’s family didn't fare much better.
Their 'investment' had vanished into the Sterling debt recovery,
and they were forced to sell their mansion to cover the legal fees.
They had tried to play with the big dogs,
and they had been bitten.
I stayed at the Sterling estate,
a massive fortress in the hills where I had grown up.
It was strange to be back,
surrounded by the wealth I had tried so hard to escape.
But this time,
it didn't feel like a cage.
It felt like armor.
Sophia was happy,
playing in the gardens with her uncles,
who treated her like a princess.
They bought her every toy she could imagine,
but her favorite thing was still her paper necklace.
One afternoon,
Victor came into the library where I was reading.
"We found Dominic,"
he said,
his voice neutral.
"He’s staying in a low-rent motel on the edge of town."
"He’s been trying to call the office,
begging for a meeting."
I didn't even look up from my book.
"No,"
I said.
"He has nothing to say that I want to hear."
"He also tried to send a letter to Sophia,"
Victor added,
holding up a crumpled envelope.
"I had security intercept it."
I took the letter and looked at the handwriting.
It was the same script he had used to write me love notes seven years ago.
"Burn it,"
I said.
"He doesn't get to reach her."
"He had his chance to be a father,"
"and he traded it for a merger."
Victor nodded,
dropping the letter into the fireplace.
"Good,"
he said.
"I was hoping you’d say that."
"What about the company?"
I asked.
"It’s being rebranded,"
Victor explained.
"Sterling Grace."
"We’re making you the Chairperson,
Viv."
"You can run it however you want."
"No more lies,"
"no more hidden investors."
"Just you."
I looked at the fireplace,
watching the paper turn to ash.
"I’d like that,"
May you like
I said.
"I’d like that very much."
