Mark let out a low, mocking chuckle, tossing a coin up in the air and catching it effortlessly. "And I suppose ’where it hurts’ happens to be our little shadow of a sister? The pathetic girl we sold off to keep our names out of the press?"
Vivian stepped forward, her dark gloves tightening around her designer clutch as she slammed the stolen flash drive onto Richard’s mahogany desk.
"In three days, Sterling Global is hosting its major international tech launch," Vivian rasped, her voice trembling with venomous excitement. "This drive contains every single blueprint and marketing strategy Anastasia personally worked on. I have already arranged for a rival firm to publish these exact files hours before the event, framing Anastasia for corporate treason."
Evelyn Vance raised a manicured, diamond-encrusted hand to her lips, letting out a faint, dismissive sigh. "A corporate scandal is entertaining, Vivian, but Damian Sterling has enough capital to buy out the press in twenty minutes. How does this help us retrieve her?"
Vivian’s face contorted into a terrifying, triumphant grin.
"Because the moment those files leak, the board of directors will file an emergency criminal injunction," Vivian whispered, her bloodshot eyes gleaming with pure malice. "The contract Damian used to claim her contains a morality clause regarding high-level corporate espionage. Under state law, if she is under federal investigation for treason against the firm, her guardianship reverts directly back to her blood family until trial."
Richard’s sunken eyes flared with immediate, predatory greed. He leaned forward over the desk, his bony fingers interlocking.
Mark’s smirk broadened into a terrifying, sadistic sneer. He pushed off the fireplace, taking a slow step toward the desk, his eyes burning with dark excitement.
"So..." Mark purred, his voice dripping with cruelty. "...the moment the scandal hits, my little sister becomes a wanted criminal. And the law hands her right back into my paws."
"Precisely," Harrison Stark affirmed coldly. "Damian Sterling won’t be able to shield her without facing federal arrest himself. She will be stripped of his protection, stripped of her name, and thrown back into this house."
Richard Vance let out a low, terrifying laugh... a dry, rattling sound that echoed through the room.
"Anastasia thought she escaped us," Richard murmured, his knuckles turning white against the desk as he envisioned rebuilding his fortune with her as leverage once more. "She thought a shiny ring and a rich husband could save her from her blood. Bring her back... and this time, I will make sure she never sees the light of day again."
_________________________
The grand auditorium at the Manhattan Convention Center was packed to capacity. Hundreds of investors, tech executives, and high-profile journalists filled the rows, their eyes glued to the massive LED screens framing the main stage.
Camera shutters clicked rhythmically, and live broadcasting crews streamed the event to millions worldwide.
Backstage, the energy was electric. Ana walked between the technical crews, her heart racing with a mix of pride and nervous excitement. After months of tireless work, the Global Tech launch was finally happening.
A few feet away, Clara Reed stood near a full-length mirror, adjusting her sleek blazer and quietly rehearsing her keynote speech. She looked up, spotting Ana, and gave her a warm, proud smile. "Take a breath, Vance. The presentation is brilliant. You’ve outdone yourself."
Ana smiled back, though her dark eyes flickered toward the side curtain.
Damian wasn’t backstage. High above the auditorium in an executive skybox, he was locked in an emergency high-yield acquisition meeting with international board members.
He had kissed her forehead before the event, his dark eyes holding hers with a quiet, heavy intensity that still resonated in her chest.
"Two minutes to live broadcast!" the stage manager called out over the headset.
Clara smoothed her jacket, stepping toward the stage entrance. "This is it, Ana. Let’s show them what we got."
Before Clara could take two steps, a violent ripple of gasps and murmurs erupted throughout the auditorium.
Ana frowned, stepping closer to the backstage monitors to see what was happening. The giant screens suspended above the stage had suddenly automatically synced to a breaking tech news alert broadcast directly from Vance Enterprises... her family’s firm.
The news anchor’s voice echoed loudly through the auditorium speakers:
BREAKING NEWS:Vance Enterprises officially unveils its revolutionary new global infrastructure platform!
Ana’s blood ran dead cold.
On the massive screens, her family’s firm displayed the digital blueprint. Ana’s breath caught in her throat. The typography, the color schemes, the technical codes, the precise marketing angles... It was her work.
Every single slide she had spent sleepless nights crafting was being displayed to the entire world under her family’s name.
"What... what is this?" Clara gasped, her face draining of all color. "That’s... that’s our entire campaign! How do they have our files?!"
Panic erupted across the auditorium floor. Board members scrambled out of their seats, journalists began furiously typing breaking headlines, and live news outlets immediately branded the situation as the ultimate insider scam.
Before Ana could process the nightmare unfolding around her, the double doors at the side of the backstage area burst open.
A dozen senior Sterling Global board members marched in, led by Richard Vance’s long-time ally on the board, Dylan Croft. Behind them, two corporate investigators and private venue security pressed forward, their faces twisted with rage.
"Anastasia Vance!" Croft bellowed, pointing a furious, accusing finger straight at her face. "You treacherous snake!"
Ana stumbled back a step, her hands trembling violently. "I... I didn’t..."
"Save your pathetic lies!" Croft snarled, stepping up to her as the board members glared at her with pure venom. "It all makes sense now! You got into Damian Sterling’s bed just to siphon our secrets back to your family! You played us all from the start to save Vance Enterprises from bankruptcy!"
"That is impossible!" Clara snapped, stepping firmly in front of Ana, her voice laced with fierce protection. "Anastasia would never betray this company! Back off, Croft!"
"Our IT security team just pulled the server logs!" Croft shouted back, his face red with fury. "The primary export for those exact files originated directly from her workstation during lunch two days ago! She stole our intellectual property and handed it right back to her blood!"
"She is a spy and a criminal!" another board member yelled, reaching out to grab Ana’s arm. "Execute an emergency suspension! Detain her until federal officers arrive..."
"Touch her, and you die where you stand."
The voice didn’t just break through the noise... it paralyzed the entire room.
A terrifying, suffocating chill swept through the backstage hall. The heavy doors slammed open, and Damian Sterling walked into the space.
He didn’t wear a coat. His dark suit jacket was buttoned tightly, his shirt sleeves rolled up slightly over his forearms, and his obsidian eyes were pure, unadulterated void. The raw, lethal aura radiating off his broad frame made the air feel thick and unbreathable.
The board members instantly froze, pulling their hands back as if burned.
Damian crossed the floor in slow, deliberate strides. He didn’t look at the screaming board, the investigators, or the chaotic auditorium. His eyes locked entirely onto Ana’s pale, trembling face.
He reached out, his large, warm hand wrapping firmly around her small waist, pulling her flush against his side in an absolute, unbreakable grip of possession.
"Mr. Sterling!" Croft stammered, sweating under Damian’s terrifying gaze. "The evidence is indisputable! The leak came from her terminal, straight to Vance Enterprises! The board demands her immediate arrest and the enforcement of the treason clause..."
"I don’t give a damn about the board," Damian purred, his baritone dropping into a low, terrifying growl that sent shivers straight down the spine of every man in the room. "And if any of you utter another word accusing my wife in my presence, I will personally ruin every family line represented in this room before the sun sets."
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