Chapter 6 - The Desperate Pleading
By the following morning, the financial media was having a field day.
“STERLING CREST GROUP FIRES REGIONAL EXECUTIVE AMID FRAUD SCANDAL,” blared the digital headline of the Houston Business Journal. “Federal Investigators Launch Grand Jury Probe Into Embezzlement Allegations.”
Ethan Sterling sat on a wooden bench in a bleak, fluorescent-lit public park in downtown Houston, staring blankly at his phone screen as the news alerts flashed across his display.
His bank accounts were locked. His credit cards were declined. His car was impounded. His pregnant girlfriend had abandoned him. His mother was holed up in a cheap motel room sixty miles away, crying hysterically about ruined social standing.
And the multi-billion-dollar empire that he had claimed as his own was now publicly prosecuting him for federal crimes.
He had one last option. One final, desperate lifeline.
With shaking, freezing fingers, Ethan dialed Claire’s private number again.
It rang four times.
Then, unexpectedly, a crisp, professional voice answered.
“Sterling Crest Group Executive Office. This is Daniel.”
“Daniel! Thank God!” Ethan gasped into the receiver, his voice breaking into hysterical sobs. “Put me through to Claire! Please! I know she’s there! Tell her I need to speak with her!”
“Hold please, Mr. Sterling,” Daniel replied coolly.
A moment later, the line clicked.
“Ethan,” Claire’s voice came through the speaker. It wasn't angry. It wasn't vindictive. It was terrifyingly calm, polite, and distant—the tone she used when dismissing a minor vendor.
“Claire! Please, you have to help me!” Ethan wept openly, ignoring the strange looks from passersby in the park. “The police are looking for me! The federal grand jury is investigating the sub-contracts! If I get indicted, I’m going to prison for twenty years! You can’t let this happen to me—we were married for seven years!”
“You were married to Claire Sterling for seven years, Ethan,” she corrected smoothly. “The woman you tried to evict into the rain two nights ago is the president of this corporation. The woman you offered a $2,500 severance package to is the person holding the keys to your freedom.”
“I was an idiot! I was blind! My mother poisoned my head, Chloe manipulated me—!” Ethan screamed, clawing at his hair. “I love you, Claire! I swear to God I do! Let’s start over! Just drop the criminal charges and give me another chance!”
A soft, cold sigh drifted through the phone line.
“Ethan, when I stood outside our home in the pouring rain, holding my suitcase, you handed me an envelope with $2,500 and told me to find a hotel,” Claire recalled, her voice steady and unyielding. “You didn't care where I slept. You didn't care about our history. You only cared about clearing the stage for your new life.”
“Claire—!”
“The federal indictments will stand. The asset freezes will remain in place. And Nathan Brooks will handle all future communications,” Claire stated calmly. “Goodbye, Ethan.”
Click.
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The dial tone buzzed in his ear.
Ethan lowered his phone slowly, dropping his hands into his lap as a torrential downpour suddenly opened up over the Houston park, soaking him to the bone, matching the absolute, inescapable ruin of his entire world.
