Chapter 13 - The Final Ace
A collective, stunned gasp rippled through the grand ballroom of the Plaza Hotel.
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Eleanor Sterling staggered backward, her knuckles whitening as she gripped her silver-tipped cane for support. "No... no! That’s impossible! Sarah was exiled! Arthur assured me she died childless!"
"Arthur lied to you, Eleanor, just like you lied to the world," Gabriel spoke, his voice booming with absolute authority as he took the affidavit from my hand and held it up for the room and the flashbulbs of the press to see. "My mother changed her name to Vance when she fled to England to escape your family's greed. I am Arthur's nephew. I am the true Sterling bloodline."
The corporate lawyers standing behind Eleanor immediately began frantically whispering to each other, furiously flipping through the legal codes on their tablets.
"The covenant states," I continued, stepping beside Gabriel and linking my arm through his, "that the Hayes shares must be united with an heir of Sterling. And Gabriel and I registered our formal intent of marriage at the city clerk’s office at four o’clock this afternoon."
Murmurs exploded across the ballroom. The socialites were breathless; the journalists were typing furiously on their phones.
"Which means," I concluded, looking Eleanor dead in the eyes, "even if your 1965 covenant is upheld in court, fifty-one percent of Hayes Maritime doesn't go to you. It merges directly with Gabriel. You just legally handed my fiancé the entire remainder of the Sterling ancestral trust."
"You... you deceitful little vixen!" Eleanor hissed, her venomous poise completely disintegrating into hysterical rage. "You had this planned! Both of you!"
"We didn't start this war, Eleanor," Gabriel said coldly, signaling toward the security detail standing near the double doors. "Your family tried to strip Clara of everything she owned. Now, the Sterling name, the Sterling trusts, and the Sterling fortune belong to us. Security, escort this trespasser off the premises."
Two towering security guards moved in, flanking Eleanor and firmly ushering her toward the exit amidst a barrage of camera flashes.
The ballroom erupted into applause, clinking glasses, and stunned congratulations.
Gabriel turned to me, the ferocious protector melting away to reveal the man who loved me. He took both of my hands in his, a breathless laugh escaping his lips. "You pulled that off in four hours. You are an absolute force of nature, Clara."
"I learned from the best," I whispered, smiling up at him as my heart swelled with a deep, profound joy. For the first time in years, the Sterling shadow was completely extinguished. The future was ours to write.
Gabriel reached into his tuxedo pocket, pulling out a velvet box. He dropped to one knee right there on the polished marble floor of the Plaza ballroom, while hundreds of guests watched in awe.
"Clara Hayes," he said, opening the box to reveal a flawless emerald-cut diamond ring that caught every beam of light in the hall. "Will you do me the honor of making our contract eternal? Will you marry me?"
Tears of pure happiness pricked the corners of my eyes. "Yes, Gabriel. A thousand times, yes."
The room roared with cheers as Gabriel slid the ring onto my finger, rising to pull me into an intoxicating, breathtaking kiss.
As our lips parted, my private phone in my evening clutch let out a single, sharp alert.
It was a text from an unlisted international satellite number.
I discreetly glanced down at the glowing screen while Gabriel embraced our celebrating friends.
The message read:
*Congratulations on your engagement, Clara. But while you were watching Eleanor in New York, the container ship carrying your entire Mediterranean fleet’s emergency lithium reserves just went dark off the coast of Gibraltar. It wasn't the Sterlings you should have been worried about. Welcome to the real game. — The Syndicate.*
My smile froze. A chill colder than winter ice gripped my spine as I looked out at the cheering crowd.
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The battle for the Sterling fortune was won.
But the true war had only just begun.