Chapter 248
“We won’t sign,” Zhang spat. “We’ll sue.”
“Go ahead,” I said. “Litigation takes years. The banks will foreclose by Friday.”
I signaled to Ms. Davies. She slid a single sheet of paper to each man.
“What is this?” Zhang asked.
“A buyout offer,” I said. “I am offering to buy your shares personally. For ten cents on the dollar.”
“Ten cents!” Zhang stood up, his face purple. “That’s an insult!”
“That’s charity,” I corrected him. “It’s ten cents more than you’ll get in bankruptcy court.”
The room went silent. They looked at each other. They were greedy, yes, but they were also cowards. They knew I was right.
One by one, they picked up their pens.
The scratching sound of signatures filled the room. It was the sound of the old guard dying.
“Done,” Zhang snapped, flinging the paper onto the table. “You’re ruining your father’s legacy.”
“I’m saving it by burning it down,” I said. “Now, get out.”
Security escorted them out. The room felt instantly lighter.
“Transfer the funds,” I told Ms. Davies.
“Funds transferred,” she replied, tapping her tablet. “Oracle Holdings has officially purchased the senior debt from the bank. As the primary secured creditor, we are now initiating the foreclosure process on the Sterling assets. The bankruptcy court has pre-approved the restructuring plan.”
“Good. Initiate the filing. Strip the real estate assets and move them to Oracle. Leave the toxic debt in the Sterling shell.”
“And you?” Harper asked. “What do you do now?”
“Now,” I said, standing up, “I go to work.”
My phone buzzed. A news alert.
BREAKING: Sterling Heiress Announces Shock Career Change.
I walked to the TV screen on the wall. The news anchor looked bemused.
“In a bizarre twist,” the anchor said, “Skye Sterling, fresh off the raid of her family estate, has signed an exclusive contract with Vance Entertainment. Sources say she is debuting not as a CEO, but as a performer.”
The screen cut to a photo of me—the one from the gala in the red dress.
𝖱𝗲а𝘥 𝗍𝗵e 𝗋𝖾𝗮l ѕtоry оn b𝘦𝘭ո𝗼𝘷𝖾𝘭s.𝗰𝗼𝘮
I smiled. It was working. The public was confused, intrigued. They weren’t talking about the embezzlement anymore. They were talking about me.
Suddenly, the door to the boardroom burst open.
Liam stood there.
He looked… diminished. His suit was wrinkled. He hadn’t shaved.
“You’re bankrupt?” he asked, breathless. “Skye, I heard the news.”
He walked toward me, fumbling with a tattered leather folder.
“I can help,” he said, his eyes wild with a savior complex. “I scraped together what I could. I mortgaged the lake house. I sold my watch collection. It’s… it’s three million dollars. Take it. Save the company. Come back to me.”
I looked at the folder. He was trying to buy me back with the crumbs of his former empire. Three million dollars wouldn’t even cover the legal fees for the bankruptcy filing.
“Put your money away, Liam,” I said. “You’re going to need it for your legal defense.”
“Why are you doing this?” he pleaded. “Singing? Dancing? You’re a businesswoman! Why humiliate yourself?”
“You think being on stage is humiliation?” I stepped closer to him. “Humiliation is begging your ex-wife to love you while your mistress sits in jail. Humiliation is knowing you built your empire on sand.”