Chapter 11 - THE SHADOW OF THE OLD GUARD
A month had passed since Marcus Sterling was stripped of his chairmanship.
While news outlets celebrated Julian and Maya’s reform of Sterling Enterprises, deep within the city's private clubs, the old guard remained bitter. Marcus was bedridden in his suburban manor following a minor stroke, but his influence still clung like frost to the company’s shadowy corners.
Inside the executive suite, Julian looked over a stack of financial reports. Beside him, Maya sat at a custom oak desk tailored for her wheelchair, carefully reviewing the catalog rights for the newly established Elena Vane Foundation.
"You haven't slept, Dad," Maya observed quietly, setting down her pen.
Julian offered a weak smile, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Rebuilding a corporation's integrity takes a little more time than tearing down a bad chairman, sweetheart. Several offshore subsidiaries are still refusing to release the original master recordings your mother made."
The heavy double doors clicked open, and Sarah stepped inside, her expression unusually grim.
"Julian," Sarah said, dropping a thick leather folder onto his desk. "We have a problem. The board’s former chief counsel, Richard Sterling—your uncle—just filed an emergency injunction in a private tribunal."
Julian frowned. "On what grounds?"
"He's claiming that Elena's original contracts contain a secret buyback clause," Sarah replied, her voice dropping. "He's claiming that before she passed away, Elena surrendered all rights to her unreleased compositions in exchange for a confidential medical settlement."
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Maya’s eyes narrowed, her hand tightening around her pen. "My mother never took a single cent of their blood money. She died at home, in her own bed, with only me beside her."
"I know, Maya," Julian said, his eyes turning cold as flint. "Which means Richard forged her signature."
