Chapter 2 - The Sterling Hubris
The next morning, the sun rose over the Sterling estate in La Jolla—a sprawling, oceanfront mansion built on old money, political favors, and ruthless corporate takeovers.
Julian sat at the edge of the infinity pool, an ice pack pressed against his swollen wrist. He was nursing a mimosa and a massive ego. Pierce and Eleanor sat at the patio table, reviewing legal documents with their high-priced crisis management attorney, Richard Vance.
"I want her bank accounts frozen by noon," Julian growled, tossing the ice pack onto the teakwood deck. "Cancel her credit cards. Take her name off the title of the Range Rover. Let's see how long she lasts sleeping on a military cot before she comes crawling back, begging for forgiveness."
Richard Vance adjusted his glasses. "Freezing the joint accounts is easy enough, Julian. But filing a preemptive restraining order to label her as unstable might be tricky, given the hospital visit. If the mother requests the medical records..."
"The hospital won't release a damn thing," Eleanor interrupted smoothly, sipping her espresso. "I already spoke to the Chief of Medicine. We donated two million dollars to their pediatric wing last year. The records of Maya's little 'fall' have been conveniently misfiled. There is no evidence. There is only a hysterical girl and her overbearing, militaristic mother."
Pierce chuckled, scrolling through his tablet. "This Colonel Roth thinks she's in a movie. She runs some logistics battalion at Camp Pendleton. She makes what, a hundred and fifty grand a year? She doesn't have the capital to fight us in court for a week, let alone a protracted divorce settlement."
"Exactly," Eleanor smiled, her eyes cold and calculating. "We control the narrative. Maya suffered a severe mental breakdown. Julian, as the devoted husband, tried to help her, but her estranged mother kidnapped her from a medical facility. We will paint the Colonel as an aggressive, unhinged veteran. By Friday, the military will be so embarrassed they’ll force her into early retirement."
Julian smirked, picking up his mimosa. "I want her to pay for embarrassing me. Maya needs to learn that she is a Sterling. She doesn't breathe without my permission."
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They clinked their crystal glasses, toasting to their perceived invincibility. They believed their wealth insulated them from consequences. They believed they had the high ground.
They had absolutely no idea that a Predator drone, redirected by a satellite link, was currently taking high-resolution thermal images of their estate from forty thousand feet in the air.
