Chapter 7 - The Sister’s Gambit
Rain poured against the floor-to-ceiling glass windows of the estate's glasshouse conservatory. Beatrice Sterling, 42, sat in a wicker armchair surrounded by exotic orchids, sipping black coffee from a bone china cup. She was a colder, more calculated version of her father—dressed in a sharp cream pantsuit, her dark hair pulled back into a flawless bun.
The heavy glass doors banged open, and Arthur stepped into the conservatory, his navy suit jacket damp from the rain crossing the courtyard.
“Where is the 2020 ledger, Beatrice?” Arthur demanded, stepping directly into her space, his voice like rolling thunder.
Beatrice didn't flinch. She set her cup down on the saucer with a quiet clink.
“It’s in a safe deposit box at Manhattan Chase, Father,” she replied smoothly. “Where neither you nor Julian can destroy it.”
“You played Victoria,” Arthur said, stepping closer, his imposing build shadowing her entirely. “You used Victoria’s hatred for Lily to create a scene at the birthday party. You knew Julian was returning from London tonight.”
Beatrice offered a cold, elegant smile. “Victoria is an idiot who thinks shoving a child’s face into a cake makes her powerful. She was a useful pawn. I needed Julian to bring Mother’s letter out into the open, and I needed you distracted enough to let me access your vault.”
“Why?” Arthur snapped. “Lily is a child!”
“Lily is a tool you are using to bypass the board!” Beatrice stood up, facing her father eye-to-eye, her expression turning fierce. “You promised Thomas’s share of the empire to me after he died! But then you brought this child home six months later and rewrote the family trust! You claimed she was Thomas’s blood! But we all know Thomas was sterile after his childhood illness, Father!”
The words hung in the humid air of the conservatory like a heavy fog.
Arthur didn't deny it. He didn't blink.
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“Thomas’s medical records were sealed,” Arthur said quietly.
“And I unsealed them,” Beatrice countered, leaning in close. “Lily isn't Thomas’s daughter. She isn't even a Sterling. You bought an orphan from a private clinic in Zurich to keep control of the trust’s majority voting shares!”
