The back door didn’t open immediately. Instead, the driver’s side door opened, and a tall man in an immaculate charcoal suit stepped out. He didn’t run despite [clears throat] the rain. He opened a large, sturdy black umbrella and walked calmly around the car. It was Sebastian Vance. To the world, he was a high-powered corporate attorney.
To Evelyn, he was her oldest friend and the chief operating officer of Sterling Global Industries. He stopped in front of Evelyn, bowing his head slightly. Mom, my apologies for the delay. Traffic on the bridge was dreadful. The security guard who had followed Evelyn out dropped his clipboard. Hey, you can’t park that here.
Sebastian turned his head slowly, fixing the guard with a glare that could freeze water. This hospital is owned by the Sterling Trust, is it not? I Yeah, I think so, the guard stammered. Then I suggest you step back before I have you reassigned to parking lot duty in Alaska, Sebastian said smoothly. He turned back to Evelyn, his expression softening instantly.
And this must be the young master Leo. He’s sleeping through the drama, Evelyn said, stepping under the umbrella Sebastian held for her. A true Sterling, then. Sebastian smiled. He opened the rear suicide door. The interior was a sanctuary of cream leather and starlight roof lining. Evelyn slid into the seat, the comfort almost making her weep after the harsh hospital bed.
Sebastian closed the door, shutting out the noise of the rain and the confused world outside. He slid into the driver’s seat and looked at her through the rear view mirror. Where too, Mom? The penthouse? The estate in the Hamptons? Evelyn looked down at the divorce papers she had crumpled into the side pocket of her bag. She smoothed them out.
Take us to the Ritz Carlton for tonight, Sebastian. I need a hot bath and room service. But first, hand me the tablet. I need to see the financials for Thornton Real Estate. Sebastian handed her a slim glass tablet from the passenger seat. I took the liberty of pulling them up when you called. It’s worse than you thought.
They are leveraged to the hilt. Beatrice has been cooking the books to hide a $40 million deficit. The merger with Kensington is their only lifeline. Evelyn scrolled through the numbers. her eyes scanning the data with the speed of a supercomput. She wasn’t Evelyn the barista anymore. She was Evelyn Sterling, the airs to a tech and energy fortune worth billions, a fortune she had built herself after inheriting a modest sum from her late father.
She had gone undercover 2 years ago to experience normal life, to find someone who loved her for her, not her money. She thought she had found that in Richard. She was wrong. “The Kensington merger,” Evelyn murmured. “Who is the lead investor financing the Kensington side of the deal?” Sebastian smiled, his eyes twinkling in the mirror.
“That would be Vanguard Capital, Mom.” Evelyn stopped scrolling. A slow, dangerous smile spread across her face. “Vanguard Capital? That’s one of our shell companies, isn’t it? It is. We own 51% of the controlling interest in the funding for that merger. Evelyn looked out the window as the Rolls-Royce pulled away from the curb, leaving the confused security guards and the miserable hospital behind.
“Sbastian,” Evelyn said softly. “Freeze the funding.” “Mom, you heard me. put a hold on the capital injection for the Kensington Thornton merger site. Due diligence concerns regarding leadership stability. If Beatrice wants a war, she’s going to get a nuclear winter. And regarding Mr. Richard? Sebastian asked as they merged onto the highway.
