Chapter 6: The Target on Her Back
The sterile white walls of the hospital room seemed to close in on them. The steady beep of the heart monitor was the only sound for a long, agonizing minute after the doctor delivered the news. A 99.9% match. The impossible had been proven with cold, hard science.
Eleanor buried her face in her hands, her shoulders violently shaking. The grief of twenty-four years of mourning collided with the overwhelming guilt of what she had done to her own flesh and blood. "Arthur," she gasped, her voice muffled by her trembling fingers. "My husband's brother. He sat at my dining table. He wiped away my tears at the funeral we held for an empty casket. And all this time..."
Julian squeezed Maya’s hand, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle feathered in his cheek. "We don't have hard proof that Arthur orchestrated the kidnapping, Eleanor. Not yet. We just have motive and opportunity. But his visit to Maya’s apartment tonight confirms he wants her gone before she can claim her rightful place."
Maya stared at the floor, her mind spinning. Yesterday, she was a freelance graphic designer terrified of her future mother-in-law. Today, she was the heiress to a multibillion-dollar real estate empire, and her uncle was a murderer who wanted her dead.
"We need to go to the police," Maya said, her voice sounding surprisingly steady despite the storm raging inside her.
"No," Julian said immediately, shaking his head. "Arthur owns half the judges in this city, and the police commissioner plays golf at his country club. If we go to the authorities without an airtight case, Arthur will know we're onto him. He'll destroy the evidence, and worse, he will make you disappear for good this time."
Eleanor looked up, her eyes red and wide with fresh terror. "Julian is right. Arthur has spent decades building his power within the company. He’s ruthless. If he knows I suspect him, he will move against us immediately."
"He already is," Julian said grimly, pulling his phone from his pocket. He tapped the screen and held it up. A news alert flashed brightly: STERLING HEIR SCANDAL: EMERGENCY BOARD MEETING CALLED TO OUST JULIAN STERLING.
"The meeting is in two hours," Julian said. "He’s moving fast. He’s going to use the scandal of the wedding to claim I’m reckless and unfit to be CEO. With you in the hospital, Eleanor, he can invoke the medical proxy clause to take temporary control of the entire Sterling Empire."
"If he gets control of the company, he can drain the accounts, manipulate the shares, and secure his position," Eleanor said, panic rising in her voice. "He’ll make sure neither of you ever sees a dime. He might even push me out permanently."
Maya felt a surge of unfamiliar anger. For years, she had been pushed around. By the foster system, by cruel bosses, and recently, by the elite society that deemed her unworthy. She looked at the frail woman in the hospital bed, and then at Julian, the man she loved, who was about to lose everything he had worked his entire life for just to protect her.
"No," Maya said. The word was soft, but it carried a weight that made both Julian and Eleanor look at her. "He isn't going to take anything else from us."
Julian raised an eyebrow. "Maya, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying we fight back," Maya said, her chin lifting. She turned to Eleanor. "You spent a year investigating my background. You know I'm a survivor. You wanted a daughter who was strong enough to carry the Sterling name. Well, you have one. And I say we go to that board meeting and rip Arthur’s plan to shreds."
May you like
Eleanor stared at the young woman in front of her. For the first time, she saw past the cheap clothes and the humble background. She saw the fierce, unyielding spirit of the Sterling bloodline. A proud, watery smile broke across Eleanor’s face.
"Julian," Eleanor commanded, her voice suddenly finding its old, authoritative steel. "Call my stylist. Have her bring the most powerful suit she can find to the executive washroom at the headquarters. My daughter is going to work."
