Chapter 2 - The Fall of the Sterling Empire
Julian lunged forward, closing the distance between them, his hand darting out to snatch her phone away.
"Are you out of your mind?" Julian hissed, his voice cracking slightly as the reality of her composure began to sink in.
"You cannot just call lawyers like this! We have a public wedding in three weeks, half the city's elite are invited, and the media—"
Clara didn't flinch.
She simply stepped to the side, letting his hand grasp empty air, while the deep, authoritative voice of her family’s senior legal counsel came through the speakerphone.
"I'm here, Clara," Arthur Vance stated, the sound of rustling documents coming through the line.
"Tell me what you need."
"Cancel the venue, cancel the catering, and issue an immediate public press release stating the wedding is permanently called off due to unresolvable breaches of contract and personal misconduct," Clara recited, her tone unwavering.
"Furthermore, I want every single corporate asset, share, and funding line currently tied to Julian Sterling’s startup frozen and revoked effective immediately."
Chloe gasped loudly from the sofa, finally standing up and wrapping the silk robe tightly around herself.
"You can't do that!" Chloe shrieked, her voice losing its previous sultry veneer.
"Julian’s company depends on those venture grants! That money belongs to both of you!"
"It belongs to my family’s trust, Chloe," Clara said, finally turning her gaze to the shivering interloper.
"A trust that Julian was only allowed to tap into because of my signature. A signature I am revoking right now."
Julian’s face turned the color of ash.
He stared at Clara as if seeing a total stranger for the very first time, realizing too late that the woman he had tried to manipulate was the sole architect of his financial survival.
"Clara, please," Julian whispered, his voice losing all its arrogance as he dropped his hands.
"We built this together. You can't destroy everything I've worked for over a mistake."
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"It wasn't a mistake, Julian," Clara replied coldly into the phone.
"Proceed, Arthur. Lock him out of every account before he can liquidate a single penny."
