Chapter 5 - The War for Sterling Global
Forty-eight hours after the night at St. Jude’s, the Sterling estate in Fairview had been transformed into a fortress.
Private security personnel guarded every acre of the gated property. Inside the master wing, the air was warm, filled with the scent of fresh soup, lavender, and burning pine logs from the fireplace.
Eleanor lay in the oversized king bed, dressed in soft silk pajamas. Dr. Hayes, Adrian’s trusted private physician, had spent the last two days flushing the heavy sedatives out of her system and administering IV fluids. Beside her on the mattress sat seven-year-old Leo, reading a picture book aloud, while little Mia slept peacefully in a crib nearby. Clara sat in an armchair by the window, sipping warm tea, her color finally returning after days of horror.
Eleanor’s mind was still fragile, but with every passing hour, the fog induced by Dr. Thorne’s drugs was lifting. She remembered the night four years ago—how Victoria Vance had invited her to a private meeting under the pretense of discussing Adrian’s birthday party, only for two men to grab her, drug her, and carry her away to the sanatorium. Eleanor had been pregnant with Mia at the time of her escape attempt a year ago, surviving in hiding with Clara until Victoria’s henchmen closed in again.
The bedroom door opened softly, and Adrian stepped inside. He had traded his tux for a simple dark sweater, but his eyes carried the sharp, lethal focus of a commander going to war.
He walked over to the bed, dropping a gentle kiss on Eleanor’s forehead before smoothing back her hair. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
"Better," Eleanor whispered, her hand reaching for his. "Every time I open my eyes and see you and the children, I feel like I’m waking up from a nightmare that lasted an eternity."
"It’s over, Eleanor," Adrian said softly, his thumb caressing her hand. "The nightmare is over. Now comes the justice."
A quiet knock sounded at the door. Marcus, his attorney, stepped into the room, holding a leather briefcase. His face was grim.
"Adrian," Marcus said, keeping his voice low so as not to distress Eleanor. "We have a situation downtown. Richard Vance just held an emergency press conference on the steps of the Sterling Global headquarters."
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. "What did he say?"
"He’s spinning the entire incident," Marcus explained, pulling out a tablet and showing a video feed. "Vance is claiming that you suffered a severe psychotic break on your wedding day. He’s telling the board of directors that you kidnapped a mentally unstable woman and two unknown children from a private care facility. Because Vance Development holds thirty percent of Sterling Global stock, he’s called for an emergency board vote at 2:00 PM today to strip you of your CEO position and freeze your corporate assets."
Adrian looked at the clock on the wall. It was 11:30 AM.
"He thinks he can play corporate chess while committing human trafficking," Adrian said, a cold, dark smile touching his lips.
"We have the evidence from the sanatorium, Adrian," Marcus pointed out. "We have Dr. Thorne's medical logs and the financial wire transfers from Victoria. But if Vance succeeds in taking control of the board today, he can use the company’s legal team to stall the police investigation for months."
"He won't take the board," Adrian said, standing up.
Eleanor reached out, gripping his sleeve. "Adrian... be careful. Richard Vance is a monster. He destroyed my family's business years ago just to force me into obscurity."
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Adrian knelt beside her, taking her face in his hands. "Four years ago, I was weak because I thought I had nothing left to fight for. I thought I was just living in an empty world. But now I have you, Leo, Mia, and Clara. They tried to steal my life, Eleanor. Now I am going to take theirs."
He turned to Marcus. "Call the District Attorney. Tell her to meet me in the Sterling Global boardroom at 1:45 PM. And tell her to bring three arrest warrants."
