Chapter 3 - An Unholy Alliance
Marcus Vance was a legend in the financial world—and the Sterling family’s fiercest rival. Where Olivia Sterling represented old, corrupt money built on backroom deals, Marcus Vance represented ruthless, modern precision. He was forty-five, sharp-eyed, and had built an empire that made the Sterlings nervous.
The next morning, I met Marcus in his penthouse office overlooking the skyline.
"Why me?" I asked, sitting across from his mahogany desk. "You don't know me."
"I know your work," Marcus said, sliding a thick ledger across the desk. "I've tracked the Sterling assets for two years. Every time Ethan Sterling closed a deal that seemed impossible, the digital footprint pointed back to your IP address and your analytical models. Ethan is a puppet. You were the brain."
He leaned forward, his dark eyes intense. "Olivia Sterling pushed your parents into a pool to humiliate them. She thinks poverty is a flaw and that people like you are disposable. I want to take her empire apart, piece by piece. But I need someone who knows their internal structure."
"What's the offer?" I asked.
"Total autonomy over Vance Global’s tactical acquisition team. A baseline salary of two million dollars, equity options, and my full legal protection," Marcus said. "In return, you give me Sterling Financial."
I thought of my mother coughing up water. I thought of my father pressing his borrowed suit for an hour. I thought of Ethan staring at the floor.
May you like
"Deal," I said, shaking his hand. "But I don't just want to take their money, Mr. Vance. I want them to lose everything."
"Call me Marcus," he smiled coldly. "And welcome to the war."
