Chapter 2 - The Sterling Vow
Once the doors closed behind the trash, the air in the room felt breathable again. Arthur placed the ivory coat gently over the back of my chair.
“You did well, Clara,” he said, pulling up a stool beside me. “You didn't break.”
“I couldn't,” I whispered, staring at my tiny, fragile babies. “If I break, who fights for them?”
Arthur nodded approvingly. Within an hour, the entire dynamic of my hospital stay shifted. I was moved from the standard maternity recovery room to the penthouse VIP suite. My twins were assigned the top three neonatal specialists in the country, flown in on Arthur’s private jet.
For the first time in days, I slept deeply, knowing my children were shielded by a wall of billions.
When I woke the next morning, Arthur was sitting at the edge of my bed, reviewing a thick leather-bound dossier.
“I’ve had my forensic accountants looking into Julian’s tech logistics firm,” Arthur said without looking up. “It seems your ex-husband is not only a cheat in his marriage but also in his business. He didn't just drain your joint accounts, Clara. He embezzled from his own investors to buy that townhouse and fund Vanessa’s lavish lifestyle.”
I sat up, ignoring the ache in my stitches. “He made me sign an agreement giving him everything. He said he took all the money.”
Arthur smiled, a chilling, predatory expression. “A contract signed under medical duress, immediately following major surgery, while on heavy narcotics, is legally void. My legal team will tear it to shreds. But we aren't just going to void the divorce, Clara. We are going to dismantle his life.”
I looked out the penthouse window at the sprawling city skyline. Julian thought I was a nobody. He thought I was an orphan with a tiny trust fund he had successfully bled dry.
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“I want his company, Grandfather,” I said, my voice hardening into steel. “I want him to have absolutely nothing. Just like he wanted for Ethan and Lily.”
“Consider it done,” Arthur replied, closing the dossier. “The Sterling family is going to war.”
