Chapter 3

Just then, Sarah arrived.

She looked flustered, but a determined glint was in her eyes.

She saw Sterling, and a small, almost star-struck smile touched her lips.

"Vic, you made it."

"Wouldn't miss seeing the future Mrs. Sterling in action," he replied, taking her hand, his eyes flicking to me with open mockery.

I looked at my arm where Jenkins had grabbed it, a faint redness already forming.

"Sarah, this is a setup," I said, my voice steady. "This deal is designed to strip the company."

She pulled her hand from Sterling's, but her gaze was fixed on him, on the power he represented.

"Alex, please," she began, her tone dismissive. "Vic is going to make Ross & Sons a household name. This is what I've always wanted."

The public nature of this, the assembled figures of Jenkins, Davies, and Sterling, all watching, amplified her words.

They were all in on it, enjoying my discomfort, my perceived irrelevance.

"Our marriage, Alex," she continued, her voice colder now, "it's run its course. I'm choosing a future with Vic. Professionally, and personally."

The words hung in the air, a final, public severing.

Sterling smirked, stepping closer to Sarah, an arm around her waist.

"Don't worry, old man," Sterling said to me, his tone dripping with false pity. "We'll give you a token payout for your troubles. For being such a... supportive husband."

Jenkins and Davies snickered.

My patience was wearing thin. I had built a life on quiet integrity, on upholding my father's values.

They mistook my quietness for weakness.

"Ross & Sons was built on integrity, Sarah," I said, my voice still calm but carrying a new edge. "My father's trust helped ensure that. This path you're choosing, it dishonors that legacy."

She flinched slightly at the mention of my father, but Sterling's grip on her tightened.

"Legacies are for museums, Miller," Sterling scoffed. "We're building an empire."

I had reached my limit. It was time to issue an ultimatum, though they wouldn't understand its true weight yet.

"You will all regret this course of action," I stated, not as a plea, but as a fact. "You can choose to walk away from this predatory deal now, or you will face consequences you cannot imagine."

Sterling threw back his head and laughed. Davies and Jenkins joined in.

"Threats, Miller? From you?" Sterling wiped an imaginary tear. "What are you going to do? Write a strongly worded letter to the editor?"

He then gestured to the expensive wine Jenkins had tried to push on me earlier.

"Tell you what," Sterling said, his eyes glinting. "You drink a full bottle of this, right now, and maybe, just maybe, I'll reconsider one minor clause in the deal. As a favor to Sarah's soon-to-be ex."

The provocation was blatant, designed to humiliate me further.

He truly believed he was untouchable, that his wealth and aggression made him king.

He had no idea who he was dealing with.