Chapter 4: The Empire’s Rot
As security arrived to escort Eleanor out, she tried one final, desperate maneuver. She pulled a document from her handbag—a file she had clearly been saving for a rainy day.
"You think you’ve won, Liam?" she spat, her hair disheveled, her makeup running. "I have records of your father’s initial seed money. It was improperly funneled. If I go down, the investigation goes back to the origin of this company. The whole Sterling legacy will burn with me!"
She expected Liam to panic. She expected him to beg for silence.
Instead, he smiled. It was a cold, tired smile.
"Mother, do you really think I didn't know?" Liam asked. "I’ve spent the last two years legally decoupling my assets from that foundation. I’ve already filed the voluntary disclosure and paid the back-taxes. There is nothing left for you to burn."
Eleanor’s face turned the color of ash. She had been holding a bomb that had already been defused. She had nothing left—no leverage, no money, no son, and no future.
"You’re a monster," she whispered, looking at me.
May you like
"No," I said, finally standing up, holding Leo to my chest. "I’m just the person you thought was worthless. And look what that cost you."
She was dragged out, screaming curses into the hallway, until the front door slammed shut, sealing her fate. The silence that returned to the house wasn't oppressive; it was peaceful. The rot had been cut out.
