Chapter 2 - The Fall of the Titan
At 2:30 p.m., a fleet of three dark town cars pulled up outside the glittering glass tower of Sterling Logistics.
I stepped out onto the sidewalk, flanked by Marcus and two uniformed police officers. I wasn't wearing a headscarf or a wig. I wore a crisp, tailored black power suit, my ruined hair fully exposed to the crisp afternoon sun—a badge of the war Julian had started.
We entered the grand marble lobby. The receptionist, a young woman who had known me for six years, gasped when she saw my face and my hair.
"Mrs. Sterling..." she stammered, stepping back from the desk.
"Is Julian in his office?" I asked, my voice calm and clear.
"Yes, ma'am. He's in an emergency meeting with the board of directors... something happened with the banking servers."
"Thank you, Clara," I said, walking toward the private executive elevators.
When the elevator doors opened on the penthouse floor, the atmosphere was chaotic. Employees were running between cubicles with armfuls of files, shouting into phones, and gathered around computer terminals that were displaying red security lockout screens.
At the end of the long hallway, the double glass doors of the main boardroom were wide open.
Julian was standing at the head of the long mahogany table, red-faced and sweating through his custom silk shirt, shouting at three nervous bank representatives. Victoria Vance sat beside him, looking visibly rattled as her company email access was repeatedly denied on her laptop.
"...I don't care what your system says!" Julian roared, slamming his fist onto the table. "I am the CEO of this company! You override that lock right now or I will tear every account out of your bank by the end of the day!"
"You won't be tearing anything anywhere, Julian," I said, stepping into the doorway.
The entire boardroom fell dead silent.
Julian spun around, his jaw dropping as he saw me. His eyes darted from my face to my jagged, shaved scalp, and then to the two uniformed police officers standing directly behind me.
"Sarah?" Julian stammered, stepping away from the table. "What... what is the meaning of this? Why are the police here?"
Victoria glared at me, leaning back in her chair with an arrogant smirk. "Did you bring the cops because I ruined your hair, Sarah? Grow up. It's hair. It grows back."
Detective Vance—no relation to Victoria—stepped past me, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt.
"Victoria Vance," the detective said loudly, his voice echoing across the boardroom. "You are under arrest for aggravated assault, battery, and harassment. Hands behind your back."
Victoria's smirk vanished instantly. "What? Julian, do something! Tell them they can't do this!"
"Officers, wait!" Julian panicked, rushing toward them. "This is a private family matter! My wife is just upset—!"
"Touch those officers, Julian, and you'll be joining her in holding," Marcus warned, stepping forward with the injunction papers. "As of 2:00 p.m. today, Sarah Sterling has exercised her right as majority shareholder of Sterling Logistics to immediately suspend your executive power pending a full internal investigation."
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Julian went deathly pale. "You... you can't do that."
"I just did," I said, walking right up to him. "You laughed on the phone five minutes after your mistress laid her hands on me. Now, you can laugh all the way to bankruptcy court."
