The silence in the Sterling penthouse was heavier than lead. Even the ticking clock seemed afraid to interrupt.Victoria sat on the leather couch, legs crossed, wearing that immaculate navy suit that made her look like the goddess of commerce herself. On the glass table before her lay a thin stack of papers, clean, cold, final. “Sign them,” she said without looking up. Her tone was clipped, like an executive dismissing an underling. “We both know this marriage is long overdue for its end.”Alex Sterling stared at the papers as though they were an illusion. His hand hovered above them, fingers trembling slightly. “Victoria… you’re divorcing me over money?”Her eyes flicked to him, perfectly painted, emotionless. “Not money, Alex. Status.”She folded her arms. “I’ve built something incredible. People see me as an icon now. And you, ” she gave a quiet, derisive laugh, “you can’t even hold down a job.”Alex’s throat tightened. The words hit harder than she knew. “You wouldn’t have tha

Morning light touched the glass walls of Sterling Tower, turning them silver in the London fog.The tall building stood like a giant among the city’s skyline. Inside, everything was quiet except for the low hum of elevators and the soft clicking of heels against marble floors.At the front desk, a young receptionist adjusted her tie and looked up from her computer. When she saw the man walking in, she almost forgot to breathe.He was tall, broad-shouldered, and dressed in a simple but perfectly cut black suit. His eyes were calm, too calm, and they held something sharp behind them. His steps were slow, confident, unhurried, as if the whole world was waiting for him. “Good morning, sir. May I help you?” she asked, trying to sound polite.The man stopped in front of her desk. “Alexander Sterling,” he said quietly, pulling a small silver ring from his pocket. The receptionist’s eyes widened when she saw the family crest carved on it, two lions and a crown.Nobody had seen that ring in

The morning sky was gray, heavy with clouds that hid the sun. Inside her penthouse, Victoria Morgan was wide awake.Coffee cups and papers covered the dining table. Her hair, usually perfect, hung loose around her shoulders.The bright lights of the room reflected off her laptop screen, showing the same headline over and over again: “ALEXANDER STERLING TAKES FULL CONTROL OF THE STERLING GROUP.”“MORGAN LUXE LOSES ALL STERLING FUNDING.”Her fingers trembled as she refreshed the page again, hoping the words would change. They didn’t.Her assistant, Ella, entered quietly. She carried a tray with a fresh cup of coffee and a worried look. “Ma’am,” she said softly, “you should take a break.”Victoria didn’t answer. She was staring at the photo of Alexander attached to the news article, tall, calm, serious. The man she had once called weak looked like a stranger now. “He planned this,” she whispered. “Every bit of it.”Ella hesitated. “Maybe it’s not personal, ma’am. Maybe he just, ”“Not p

The sun rose cold and pale over London, spilling light across the tall glass buildings.Inside his luxury office, Harold Sterling stood by the window, watching the traffic below. He looked calm from a distance, but his clenched jaw and shaking hand told another story.For years, Harold had been the man no one dared to cross. His voice could ruin careers, but now, that same voice trembled each time his phone rang.He had lost three major investors in the last twenty-four hours. His shares were crashing. His company name, Sterling International, was all over the news. Headlines screamed betrayal, fraud, corruption, aAnd all of it traced back… to him.He slammed his fist against the glass desk. “Impossible! Someone planted this!”His assistant, a nervous young man named Reed, stood frozen by the door. “Sir… there’s another problem.”Harold turned sharply. “What now?”Reed swallowed hard. “The police want to see your financial records. They said… they received an anonymous tip.”Harold’

The rain had stopped, but the city still looked gray. Victoria hadn’t slept all night.She sat on the edge of her bed, her hair loose, eyes swollen from crying. The documents from Ella’s computer lay scattered around her, each one like a knife in her heart.Betrayal. Lies. Loss. It all played in her head on repeat. For hours she had asked herself the same question: “Why me?”But sometime before dawn, that question changed. Now she asked: “How do I make him pay?”Victoria rose from the bed and walked to the mirror. Her reflection looked fragile, broken, but behind her tired eyes, something had changed. There was fire now.She whispered to herself, her voice calm and cold. “You wanted war, Alexander. You’ll get one.”She got dressed, not in her elegant suits, but in black jeans and a leather jacket. She tied her hair back tightly.Like she used to before a deal, then she took her phone and began calling people, one by one.Some didn’t answer. Some hung up as soon as they heard her voice