Chapter 2: The Empire Strikes Back
Arthur Sterling slowly rose to his feet.
The shattered glass beneath his polished shoes cracked with every measured step.
No one dared to speak.
Henderson quietly handed him a tablet.
Security footage from the penthouse.
Arthur watched every second.
My husband, Ethan Blackwell, grabbing my wrist.
Throwing me against the marble fireplace.
Watching me collapse without a trace of remorse.
His mother standing nearby, smiling.
His attorney calmly discussing how to transfer my remaining shares before the divorce papers were finalized.
The recording ended.
Arthur looked up.
"Freeze every Blackwell account."
Henderson nodded.
"Already done."
"Cancel every line of credit."
"Done."
"Notify every board member that Sterling Capital is terminating all partnerships effective immediately."
Another nod.
Arthur's voice never rose.
"Call the SEC."
"The FBI."
"The Department of Justice."
"If there's one illegal dollar inside Blackwell Holdings..."
He looked toward the skyline.
"I want them to find it."
Across Manhattan...
Ethan Blackwell was celebrating.
He believed Clare had finally broken.
He was already discussing which penthouse to buy after the divorce.
His phone vibrated.
Then another.
Then twenty more.
His smile disappeared.
His chief financial officer burst into the conference room.
"We have a problem."
"Our banks just froze every operating account."
Another executive ran in.
"Our stock has been halted."
"The Sterling contracts were terminated."
A third executive followed.
"The federal government is requesting every financial record we've ever filed."
Ethan stared at the growing list of notifications.
His billion-dollar empire wasn't collapsing.
May you like
It was being erased.
And it had only taken six minutes.
