Chapter 8 - THE TAKEDOWN OF MANHATTAN
Forty-eight hours later.
The grand boardroom of Hawthorne Holdings on the sixty-fifth floor of a glass skyscraper in downtown Manhattan overlooked the breathtaking skyline of New York City.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the morning sun reflected brilliantly off the Hudson River.
Inside, twenty members of the executive board sat around a massive oval mahogany table, dressed in multi-thousand-dollar suits, whispering nervously among themselves.
Victoria Sterling sat at the far end of the table, wearing a dark navy blazer, her expression cold and smug. She had spent the last two days bribing key board members to support an emergency vote to strip Julian of his executive power, claiming he was mentally unfit after the "incident" at the estate.
"We have a quorum," Victoria announced loudly, tapping her silver pen against her glass. "The motion before the board today is the immediate removal of Julian Hawthorne as Chief Executive Officer due to reckless endangerment of corporate assets."
"On what grounds, Victoria?" an elderly board member asked.
"On the grounds that he staged a fake marriage with a penniless girl to hide his incompetence!" Victoria sneered, holding up a file. "I have the financial records of the Parker family right here! Her father is a criminal! Her family is trash!"
BANG!
The double glass doors of the boardroom swung open with an authoritative crash!
Julian Hawthorne stepped into the room.
He looked striking, powerful, and utterly lethal. He wore a dark charcoal three-piece suit, his dark hair slicked back, his silver eyes sweeping over the board members like an absolute monarch entering his court.
Beside him walked Evelyn.
She wore a breathtaking emerald silk dress that hugged her slender figure, her dark hair styled into elegant, glossy waves falling over her shoulders. Around her neck sat a three-strand diamond necklace from the Hawthorne family vault, sparkling brilliantly beneath the fluorescent lights.
She walked with her head held high, her hand tucked securely into Julian’s arm, radiating a regal grace that silenced the entire room instantly.
"You're late, cousin," Victoria spat, standing up from her chair, though a flicker of fear flashed in her eyes as she saw how calm Julian looked.
"A chief executive is never late, Victoria," Julian said smoothly, walking to the head of the mahogany table. He pulled out the leather chair for Evelyn, bowing slightly as she sat down, before taking his seat at the head of the room. "He arrives precisely when he intends to execute a traitor."
Victoria’s face turned white. "What are you talking about?!"
Julian gestured to Mr. Vale, who stepped forward holding a silver flash drive.
"Ten minutes ago," Mr. Vale announced to the silent room, "the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed arrest warrants for state treason, corporate espionage, and attempted murder against Victoria Sterling."
A collective gasp echoed across the boardroom.
"That's a lie!" Victoria screamed, her hands slamming onto the table. "You have no proof!"
Mr. Vale plugged the flash drive into the central display system.
The massive wall screen flickered to life, displaying crystal-clear audio and video recordings of Victoria sitting in a private limousine in Newport, handing a briefcase filled with two hundred thousand dollars in cash to the mercenary leader.
“Make sure Julian doesn't survive the storm,” Victoria’s recorded voice echoed clearly through the boardroom speakers. “And eliminate the girl too. Leave no witnesses.”
The board members gasped in horror, shrinking away from Victoria as if she were a venomous snake.
Two federal agents in dark suits stepped through the glass doors, holding iron handcuffs.
"Victoria Sterling," the lead agent declared, "you are under arrest for attempted murder and conspiracy."
Victoria stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock and absolute terror, as the cold iron cuffs clicked tightly around her wrists.
As the agents dragged her toward the door, Victoria stopped beside Evelyn's chair, her face twisted in insane, poisonous rage.
"You think you won, you little street whore?!" Victoria spat at her. "He bought you! You're nothing to him but a contract!"
Evelyn slowly turned her head, looking up at Victoria with cold, sovereign contempt. She reached out, placing her hand gently over Julian’s warm hand on the table.
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"He didn't buy a contract, Miss Sterling," Evelyn said, her voice ringing clear and absolute through the room. "He bought a partner. And now... you are leaving my building."
The room erupted into applause as the federal agents dragged the screaming heiress out into the hallway.
