The Forgotten Heir's Payback

Chapter 5: The Woman in the Red Dress

Julian stood frozen on the cold pavement outside the club. The harsh voice of his father echoed through the phone speaker, making his blood turn into ice. 

The fifty million dollar loan was paused. If that money did not enter their company account by tomorrow, Sterling Enterprises would go bankrupt.

"Dad, that is impossible!" Julian cried out, his voice high and shaking. "The bank directors told me yesterday that everything was settled! How could they stop it?"

"I do not know!" his father roared back through the phone. "The senior vice president called me personally! He said the order came straight from the top office! The new chairman of Grand Dragon Financial is reviewing every major contract himself! You get your useless head back home right now!"

The phone went dead.

Julian dropped his arm slowly. His face was pale, and sweat poured down his cheeks despite the cold night wind. He looked down at his bare feet covered in dirt, then turned to look at Chloe.

Chloe stepped back, her hands shaking. "Julian? Is... is it true? Is the loan really stopped?"

Beatrice grabbed Julian's arm, her voice full of panic. "Julian, say something! You said you were going to buy my daughter a mansion! You said you had fifty million dollars coming!"

"Shut up!" Julian screamed, pushing Beatrice away. "Just shut your mouth!"

Inside the glass doors of the Royal Crown Club, Lucas watched the chaotic mess for two seconds before turning his back on them. He walked calmly into the private elevator with Thomas, leaving the screaming family behind in the dark.

Early the next morning, the sun rose over the tall towers of the city. A shiny black limousine pulled up to the private rear entrance of the Grand Dragon Financial Building.

Lucas stepped out of the car. He wore a crisp white shirt, a dark tie, and a dark blue suit that made him look like a king. Thomas walked right beside him, leading the way to the top floor board meeting.

The grand boardroom on the hundredth floor was huge. Long glass windows showed the whole city below. Around a massive oval table sat twelve older men in expensive dark suits. These were the senior executives who managed billions of dollars every single day.

At the very head of the table sat a woman in a bright red dress.

She had sharp eyes, silver earrings, and a dark hair bun that made her look like a queen ready for battle. Her name was Victoria Thorne. She was twenty eight years old, but she was the most feared female CEO in the entire region. She was smart, rich, and ruthless in business.

What nobody in the city knew was that Victoria had been working secretly for Lucas’s grandfather for five years. Her job was to guard Lucas’s vast assets while he lived as a simple husband.

When Lucas walked into the room, Victoria stood up immediately. A soft, genuine smile appeared on her sharp face.

"Welcome back, Young Master Lucas," Victoria said, her voice clear and smooth.

Lucas nodded at her politely. "Thank you, Victoria. You have kept everything in perfect order while I was away."

"It was my honor, sir," Victoria replied, pulling out the main leather armchair at the head of the table for Lucas to sit down.

However, before Lucas could sit down, a fat man in a gray suit stood up at the middle of the table. His name was Director Vance, no relation to Chloe's family, but an arrogant man who had enjoyed free power for three years while the young master was absent.

Director Vance looked at Lucas with a frown, his voice full of disrespect. "Hold on a minute! Is this young boy the person we are all waiting for? Victoria, are you out of your mind? He looks like he just left high school! How can we let a clueless kid take over a financial empire?"

A few other old directors whispered among themselves, nodding their heads in agreement. They thought Lucas was just a weak boy who got lucky through his grandfather's will.

Victoria’s eyes turned cold as ice. She turned her head slowly to look at Director Vance.

"Director Vance," Victoria said, her voice dropping into a dangerous whisper. "Do you know who you are speaking to?"

"I am speaking to a boy who knows nothing about banking!" Director Vance sneered, tapping his gold watch on the table. "I have managed this bank for fifteen years! I will not take orders from a child!"

Victoria did not raise her voice. She simply picked up a black binder from the table and threw it right into Director Vance’s face.

The heavy binder hit the man's chest with a loud smack, knocking his water glass over.

"Read page three, you old fool," Victoria declared coldly.

Director Vance gasped, his face turning red with anger. He opened the binder with shaking hands and looked down at the official ownership document. His eyes went wide as he read the golden numbers at the top.

"Lucas Vance holds sixty percent of the direct master equity in Grand Dragon Financial," Victoria said loudly, her voice echoing off the glass walls so every director could hear clearly. "He owns your salary. He owns your office. 

He owns sixty percent of every single house, car, and shoe you bought with this bank's money! If he wants you fired this second, you will walk out of this building as a beggar before lunch!"

The entire boardroom fell dead silent.

Director Vance’s knees went soft. The paper shook wildly in his hands. He looked at Lucas, who was sitting comfortably in his armchair with a calm, silent look on his face.

"I... I apologize, Young Master!" Director Vance squeaked out, dropping to his knees right beside his leather chair. "I was blind! Please forgive me!"

Lucas did not even look at the kneeling man. He casually waved his hand. "Thomas, take Director Vance out. Strip him of his share options and fire him."

Two security guards walked in immediately, grabbing Director Vance under his arms and dragging him out of the room while he cried out for mercy. The remaining eleven directors sat up straight, their faces pale, not daring to make a single sound.

Victoria smiled, pleased with the fast clean up. She leaned closer to Lucas, placing a red folder right in front of him.

"Young Master, about the Vance family and the Sterling family," Victoria said quietly. "Julian Sterling’s company is on the edge of death. Chloe Vance is trying to use her family’s small business to save him. I can destroy both families completely before sunset today. Just give me the word."

Lucas shook his head gently. "No, Victoria. Death that comes too fast is a mercy. They made me live like a dog for three years. I want them to feel every single step of their own ruin. I want them to beg on the streets."

"I understand," Victoria said, her sharp eyes gleaming with respect. "In that case, you need to see this confidential file I pulled from the master vault this morning."

Victoria reached out her long slender fingers and slid a heavy black confidential file straight across the table to Lucas.

Lucas opened the file. Inside were old faded letters, bank transfer logs from twenty years ago, and a stamped police report.

"Julian’s father did not build Sterling Enterprises legitimately," Victoria said, her voice turning deeply serious. "Twenty years ago, his father was a small driver. 

He stole the initial ten million dollars of seed capital directly from your late mother’s private bank account while she was sick in the hospital."