Chapter 6 - The Apex Panic
The screen of Marcus’s tablet flickered, casting a sharp blue glow across the opulent marble foyer as the face of Arthur Sterling—and behind him, the panicked, sweat-beaten expression of Richard Vance, the CEO of Apex Consulting—materialized in high definition.
"Sabrina," Richard Vance blurted out before Arthur could even greet me, his voice pitching high with utter disbelief and corporate terror. "What is the meaning of this? My CFO just locked down our entire operating ledger! Half our regional accounts have been frozen, and our primary institutional investor is demanding an immediate audit! Do you have any idea what you're doing to this firm?"
Ryan, still leaning against the marble pillar in a state of stunned paralysis, whipped his head toward the tablet. "Richard? Richard, tell her! Tell her she can't do this! She's—she's just a consultant, she doesn't have the authority to—"
"Shut up, Ryan!" Richard snapped, his face turning an unsightly shade of purple as he glared at my soon-to-be ex-husband through the video feed. "You incompetent idiot! You didn't even know who signs your quarterly performance bonuses, did you? You thought you were the golden boy of the department, when every single cent keeping your title afloat came out of her private pocket!"
Officer Miller shifted uncomfortably, clutching the legal portfolio I had handed him like it might bite his fingers. He looked from Ryan to the tablet screen, then back to me, slowly sliding his notepad back into his breast pocket. "Uh... Mr. Ross, it appears this is a corporate and civil matter well outside local municipal jurisdiction. I'm going to have to advise you to step outside."
"Officer, you can't leave!" Vivian screeched from the open front doorway, having finally rushed across the street to join her ruined son. She pointed a trembling finger at me. "She’s a fraud! She stole our lives, our status, everything! Arrest her!"
Arthur Sterling finally spoke, his calm, gravelly voice cutting through the chaos like a razor. "Mrs. Vivian Ross, I would strongly advise you to watch your tone. You are currently standing on private property shouting obscenities at the majority shareholder of the global syndicate that finances your son's entire existence. Marcus, escort them off the premises. Permanently."
"Right away, sir," Marcus replied smoothly.
Before Vivian could draw another breath to scream, two security guards flanked her and Ryan, gently but firmly steering them toward the heavy double doors.
"Sabrina! You can't do this to us! We're family!" Ryan yelled, his voice cracking desperately as he was pushed past the threshold. "Think of the children! Think of what you're destroying!"
I didn't blink. I didn't turn around. I simply watched the heavy oak doors swing shut, sealing out the wreckage of a life I had outgrown years ago.
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Arthur’s image on the tablet gave a faint, approving nod. "The car is waiting outside, Sabrina. We have a board meeting in New York that cannot wait. And based on what just happened on your front steps, the European partners are going to want a full briefing on how you handle hostile takeovers."
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