Chapter 15 - The New Era
By dawn, the rain had finally stopped. Golden sunlight broke through the gray clouds, illuminating the sprawling gardens of the Sterling estate.
Police cruisers with flashing red and blue lights lined the circular driveway. Aunt Clara was led down the grand front steps in handcuffs, her elegant demeanor completely shattered as officers escorted her into the back of a patrol car.
Inside the sunlit drawing room, a warm fire crackled in the hearth.
Sophia lay on the velvet sofa, a warm blanket draped over her legs, color fully restored to her face as a paramedic finished checking her vitals. “She’s completely clear of the toxin,” the paramedic reported to Ethan with a nod before packing his bag and leaving the room.
Ethan sat in an armchair nearby, his shoulder bandaged beneath a fresh shirt. He looked over at Emma, who was standing by the tall bay windows, looking out at the rising sun.
“You held that sledgehammer like a professional yesterday, Emma,” Ethan said, a faint, genuine smile touching his lips for the first time in days.
Emma turned around, a small laugh escaping her lips. “I thought I was going to faint when the wood split. But I knew in my heart she wasn't gone.”
Sophia held out her hand, and Emma walked over, sitting on the edge of the sofa to take it.
“You saved my life, Emma,” Sophia said softly, her eyes glistening with tears. “Both of you did.”
Ethan stood up, walking over to stand beside his sisters. He pulled the official trust documents from his coat pocket and laid them on the coffee table before Emma.
“Fifty-one percent, Emma,” Ethan said quietly. “The company belongs to you now. You’re the majority owner of Sterling Logistics.”
Emma looked at the paper, then up at Ethan and Sophia. “We’re running it together. All three of us. As a family.”
Ethan smiled, nodding slowly. “As a family.”
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the drawing room opened. The family butler stepped inside, looking unusually tense as he held a silver tray bearing a single, thick cream-colored envelope sealed with black wax.
“Pardon the interruption, Mr. Sterling,” the butler murmured nervously. “This was just delivered by a courier at the front gate. It is addressed directly to Miss Emma.”
Emma reached out and picked up the envelope. She broke the black wax seal and pulled out a single sheet of heavy parchment written in dark, elegant calligraphy:
“Congratulations on surviving your family, Emma. But the 51% share your father left you was only half of the original deed. The remaining 49% was sold twenty-six years ago to the man who built the clinic in Vermont... your mother’s real husband. I will be seeing you at the shareholders' meeting on Monday.”
Emma’s hands trembled slightly as she read the signature at the bottom: VICTOR STERLING.
Ethan leaned over her shoulder, his sharp blue eyes locking onto the name, his jaw tightening once more.
“Victor...” Ethan whispered, his voice dropping into a cold hush. “Father’s older brother who vanished in 1998.”
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Emma looked up at her brother, her green eyes filled with a new, quiet determination. She folded the letter slowly and set it on the table beside the will.
“Let him come,” Emma said softly. “I still have the sledgehammer.”
