Chapter 6 - The Unraveling Syndicate
The morning after the dramatic arrest of Lady Victoria Sterling, the financial district of the city was in an uproar.
News anchors stood outside the massive wrought-iron gates of the Sterling Estate, live-broadcasting to millions of viewers worldwide:
HEADLINE: BILLIONAIRE WIFE ALIVE AFTER FIVE YEARS; STERLING MATRIARCH ARRESTED FOR INTERNATIONAL KIDNAPPING AND FRAUD.
Inside the private executive boardroom of Sterling Global Enterprises, Alexander sat at the head of a thirty-foot glass table.
Beside him sat Hannah, wearing a sharp, elegant navy blue dress suit, her hair styled in soft waves, looking every bit the royal matriarch she was born to be. Noah sat happily on a plush chair beside her, coloring in a drawing book with a set of gold-plated markers.
Across the table sat five senior corporate executives—men who had secretly conspired with Lady Victoria to funnel millions out of the Sterling Trust during Rosalie’s absence.
"Gentlemen," Alexander opened a thick black leather binder, his voice quiet, cold, and lethal. "Over the past five years, while my mother kept my wife trapped in poverty, you five signed off on thirty-two illegal property transfers to shell companies registered in the Cayman Islands."
"Alexander... please!" the chief financial officer stammered, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "Lady Victoria threatened us! She told us if we didn't authorize those transfers, she would have us fired and ruined!"
"You had a choice," Hannah spoke up, her voice clear, confident, and ringing with absolute authority.
The executives looked at her in surprise.
"You had a choice to report her to the authorities," Hannah continued, leaning forward on her elbows, her brown eyes piercing through the terrified men. "Instead, you took five-million-dollar 'consulting fees' from her shell accounts every single quarter. You profited off my family's tragedy."
Arthur stepped forward from the shadows, sliding five black folders across the polished glass table.
"Federal prosecutors are waiting in the lobby downstairs," Arthur announced calmly. "You have ten minutes to sign these full confession documents and surrender all corporate equity, or you will join Lady Victoria in a federal detention facility."
Without a word, all five executives grabbed pens, their hands shaking violently as they signed away their corporate power, their fortunes, and their reputations.
"Get out," Alexander commanded.
As the disgraced men hurried out of the room, Alexander turned to Hannah, taking her hand across the table and pressing a gentle kiss to her knuckles.
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"You handled that like a true queen," Alexander smiled warmly.
"I spent five years watching powerful people treat others like dirt," Hannah replied, her eyes soft and full of love. "It's time this company started protecting people instead of abusing them."
