My husband took me to his company’s luxury gala in Miami / Chapter 17 / 52

Chapter 17 - The Architect of Ruin

The boardroom was cleared within an hour, leaving only Julian, Maxwell, and me surrounded by mountains of seized documents. Victoria’s parting words hung in the air like poison.

*He knows your father is in England.*

"Maxwell, where is he?" I demanded, turning to my father’s closest confidant. "You’ve known the whole time, haven’t you?"

Maxwell lowered his head, a mixture of guilt and devotion in his weathered eyes. "Arthur made me swear on my life, Claire. When he survived the crash in the Mediterranean, he was severely injured. It took two years of clandestine surgeries in Switzerland just to rebuild his spine and lungs."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Tears of fury pricked my eyes. "Do you know what it felt like to stand by that empty grave? To endure Ethan’s mockery, his gaslighting, his mistress paraded in front of me, believing I was entirely alone in the world?"

"Because if you knew, you would have protected him," Maxwell explained softly. "And the moment the Syndicate saw you acting suspiciously, Vance would have killed you both. Arthur needed the world to believe the Sterling dynasty was weak, dormant, and ready to be plundered. He needed Cross and Vance to overextend their reach so you could cut off their heads legally."

"He used me as bait," I whispered, the harsh reality sinking in.

"He made you a queen," Julian corrected gently, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Look at what you’ve accomplished in forty-eight hours, Claire. Cross is ruined. Ethan is in a cage. Victoria is in chains. You took down three pillars of an international cartel without firing a single bullet."

Suddenly, Julian’s tactical radio crackled with frantic static.

*"Alpha One, this is perimeter security at the Mayfair safehouse! We have multiple armed hostiles breaching the outer gates! Black SUVs, heavy caliber weapons—they aren't here for negotiations!"*

"The Mayfair safehouse?" I asked, my heart hammering. "Who is in Mayfair?"

Maxwell pulled out his sidearm, checking the chamber with chilling efficiency. "Arthur’s extraction team arrived there an hour ago. Alistair Vance has sent his death squad."