Chapter 9 - THE TYRANT'S ULTIMATUM
Lucas picked up the phone, pressing accept and holding the screen so Nataly could see. The imposing face of Sterling Vance appeared, sitting in his luxurious leather armchair inside the Vance Tower penthouse on Wall Street.
"Good evening, Lucas," Sterling said, his voice smooth, commanding, and utterly ruthless. "I see you've collected your little secret from the hospital."
"You are a monster, Father," Lucas spat out, his voice shaking with intense anger. "You lied to me for five years and kept me from my own children!"
Sterling didn't even blink, taking a slow sip from his crystal glass of scotch. "I did what was necessary to preserve the purity and power of the Vance dynasty. A hostesses daughter is not fit to carry our family name."
"They are my sons, Sterling!" Lucas roared, standing up from the sofa. "And Noah is sick! He needs a transplant!"
"Then bring him to the private family clinic in Manhattan tomorrow morning," Sterling offered coldly. "I will authorize the top surgeons in the country to perform the procedure—on one condition."
Nataly gasped, clutching Lucas's arm as she stared at the screen in terror.
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"What condition?" Lucas asked through gritted teeth.
"You will sign over all your corporate voting proxy shares to Victor, and you will marry Charlotte Kensington on live television tomorrow night," Sterling declared smoothly. "If you refuse, I will use my influence to ensure no hospital in the United States accepts your son for a transplant."
