Chapter 5 - The Fake Billionaires
Inside the Sterling penthouse, the air smelled of stale scotch and panic.
Julian kicked an antique mahogany side table, sending a crystal decanter crashing onto the rug. "How did this happen?! Who the hell is Marcus Vance?!"
Evelyn sat on the sofa, clutching her pearl necklace so tightly the string threatened to snap. Her designer makeup had smeared beneath her eyes, revealing hollow, aging skin.
"Vance... Vance Global," Evelyn whispered, her voice shaking violently. "Your grandfather used to speak of him. He was the silent titan behind the Atlantic shipping cartels. We thought he died ten years ago without an heir!"
"She was his daughter!" Julian screamed, tearing at his hair. "That pathetic little mouse who washed our dishes was sitting on a fifty-billion-dollar empire, and you told me to throw her out on the street!"
"You wanted her out too!" Evelyn shrieked, jumping to her feet. "You were the one sleeping with Chloe in five-star hotels! You told me she was barren until she showed up pregnant! You said her child would dilute your personal trust!"
The heavy oak front doors swung open without a knock.
Three men entered the living room. None of them wore business suits. They wore dark leather jackets, heavy gold chains, and expressions carved from stone. The man in the center, a scarred enforcer named Dante, tossed an unsealed manila folder onto the glass coffee table.
"Time's up, Julian," Dante said, pulling out a heavy brass lighter and clicking it open. "Eight million. Wire transfer. Now."
Julian backed away until his shoulders hit the wall. "Dante... please. Give me forty-eight hours. My family's company is just experiencing a temporary liquidity halt—"
"Your company is dead," Dante cut him off. "Vance Global bought your debt paper this morning at six cents on the dollar. You have no credit. You have no collateral. Except..." Dante tapped the folder. "...this irrevocable trust under the name of Lily Sterling."
"Yes!" Julian lunged forward, clutching at the paper like a lifeline. "The baby! The trust is worth ten million! I’m the father, I can authorize the liquidation!"
"You're not on the birth certificate, kid," Dante said with a brutal sneer. "And our legal team checked the registry an hour ago. There is no marriage record between you and Clara Vance. You don't have legal guardianship. You gave us worthless paper."
Julian's breath hitched. His eyes darted to Evelyn, who looked ready to faint.
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"I can get her," Julian pleaded, dropping to his knees before the loan shark. "Clara loves me! She's weak! If I find her, I can force her to sign the trust transfer! She’s hiding at an estate in Long Island. Give me twelve hours! Just twelve hours!"
Dante looked down at him with utter disgust. "Twelve hours, Julian. If the money isn't in our offshore account by midnight, we don't take your collateral. We take your kneecaps."
