Chapter 10 - The Sterling Legacy
Three years later.
The Manhattan skyline glittered brightly through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my corner office. The plaque on the heavy oak door read: Clara Sterling, CEO of Sterling Global.
When my father stepped down to focus on philanthropy, the board had voted unanimously for me to take the helm. In three years, I had not only repaired the damage Julian had done to the markets, but I had expanded our holdings into sustainable energy and global infrastructure.
I was feared by my rivals, respected by my peers, and completely, utterly free.
I stood by the window, reviewing a quarterly earnings report on my tablet, when the doors to my office burst open.
“Mommy!”
I dropped the tablet onto my desk and spun around just in time to catch a tiny, dark-haired tornado in a pink dress.
Victoria giggled wildly as I scooped her up into my arms, spinning her around the office.
“What are you doing here, little bird?” I laughed, kissing her cheek.
My father strolled in behind her, looking relaxed in a cashmere sweater, holding a small pink backpack. “She insisted on coming to have lunch with the boss. Who am I to argue with the fiercest three-year-old in Manhattan?”
I smiled, holding my daughter close. Her emerald eyes—my eyes—sparkled with pure, unadulterated joy. She knew nothing of fear. She knew nothing of the dark, cold penthouse or the monsters who once lived there.
She only knew love. She only knew safety.
“Well, the boss is famished,” I said, tapping Victoria’s nose. “Shall we go to the park?”
“Yes! The park!” she cheered.
As we walked out of the office, my father walking beside me, I caught a glimpse of our reflection in the polished glass of the boardroom doors.
A powerful titan. A brilliant CEO. A happy child.
Julian had told me I was nothing without him. He had told me I owned nothing, that I was nothing.
He was rotting in a concrete cell, entirely forgotten by the world he so desperately tried to impress.
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And I?
I had everything. I was everything. And the Sterling name would never be used to break someone again; it would be the shield that protected us forever.
