Chapter 5 - The Ambush at Greenwich
Over the next two weeks, Richard played his role to perfection. He pretended to grow increasingly stressed by work, allowing Victoria to see him taking fake blood pressure medication and drinking extra scotch in his study at night. He created a false paper trail suggesting he was struggling to balance fatherhood and his corporate empire.
Hooked by the bait, Victoria moved faster.
On a rainy Thursday afternoon, Victoria invited her brother Julian to the estate under the guise of an informal family lunch while Richard was supposedly stuck in an emergency board meeting in Philadelphia.
Inside the nursery, the hidden pinhole cameras recorded every word.
Victoria stood near the window, looking out at the heavy rain while Julian—a tall, arrogant man in a tailored European suit—poured himself a drink from the nursery’s bar cart.
"How long until the medical board evaluates the child?" Julian asked impatiently.
"I’ve been using the ultrasonic device every time Richard isn't looking," Victoria said coldly, sipping her tea. "The brat is completely traumatized. She hyperventilates whenever I touch her. I’ve already convinced our family pediatrician to document her 'severe emotional instability.' In another month, I’ll file a petition for emergency co-guardianship, citing Richard’s inability to manage her mental health."
Julian chuckled. "And Richard? How is his health?"
"He’s breaking," Victoria smiled, her face lit by the cold gray light of the rain outside. "He drinks every night. He’s stressed out of his mind. Once I get co-guardianship of Maya, we’ll slowly increase his sedative dosage. A tragic accidental overdose of a grieving widower... and the entire Sterling empire falls right into our hands."
What Victoria didn't know was that thirty miles away, sitting in a quiet, blacked-out van parked outside a federal courthouse in Manhattan, Richard was watching the live high-definition feed alongside two senior agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a district prosecutor.
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The lead FBI agent took off his headphones and turned to Richard. "Mr. Sterling, you have more than enough here for conspiracy, attempted child abuse, and corporate fraud."
"Not yet," Richard said, his expression like chipped granite. "I don't just want them arrested, Agent Miller. I want them completely, utterly ruined so they can never touch my family again. Let them take the final step."
