Chapter 1 - Calling the Bluff
Victoria’s shriek hung in the crisp evening air, echoing off the brick facade of my home. Her phone was held high, her manicured thumb hovering over the screen like a detonator. Julian flinched at his mother’s volume, glancing nervously at the neighbors' windows. Chloe kept her camera rolling, a smug, expectant smirk on her face, waiting for me to crumble, beg, or cry.
I didn't do any of those things. I leaned against the doorframe, crossed my arms, and looked Victoria dead in the eye.
"Do it," I said.
The silence that followed was absolute. Victoria’s hand trembled slightly. The triumphant sneer faltered on her lips.
"What?" she sputtered, her voice losing its venomous edge.
"I said, do it. Hit send. Leak whatever it is you think you have," I challenged, my voice calm, steady, and loud enough for Chloe’s microphone to pick up every syllable. "Because if you actually had anything that could destroy my father or Vance Logistics, you wouldn't be standing on my porch in the cold, begging for thirty-one middle-management salaries. You would have used it during the divorce settlement to take half my shares."
Julian stepped forward, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Elena, stop. Mom is just upset. We can talk about this inside—"
"You don't cross this threshold ever again, Julian," I snapped, pointing a sharp finger at his chest. He froze. "And you, Victoria. If you want to play corporate terrorist, go ahead. But know this: I spent the last eight months compiling a dossier on every single one of your relatives. I have the IP addresses they used to forward our client lists. I have the doctored timestamps on their expense reports. I have the wire transfers your brother-in-law sent to that shell company in the Caymans."
Victoria’s face drained of color, turning a sickly, ashen gray. Chloe slowly lowered her phone.
"If you leak a single fabricated rumor about my father," I continued, stepping out onto the porch so I was inches from my former mother-in-law, "I will hand my dossier over to the FBI. Corporate espionage, wire fraud, and conspiracy. You won't just lose your jobs. You'll lose your freedom. Now get off my property before I call the police and have you trespassed."
I didn't wait for a response. I stepped back inside, slammed the heavy oak door, and threw the deadbolt.
May you like
My hands were shaking, but not from fear. It was pure, unadulterated adrenaline. The parasite was finally severed. But I knew Victoria Sterling. She was a cornered animal, and she wouldn't go down without trying to draw blood. I pulled out my phone and dialed my father again.
"Dad," I said when he answered. "We need to convene the board. Tonight. The Sterlings are going to war."
