Chapter 7 - Seeds of an EmpireJulian sank into a leather armchair, burying his face in his hands. "They’re going to evict us, Claire. The trust fund you backed was our only collateral for our new home."
Claire walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass. "When our father died ten years ago, Julian, what did I tell you?"
He remained silent.
"I told you that wealth isn't the amount of marble in your entryway. It's having the backbone to stand up for the people who bleed for you. I built Clearwater from an attic office while raising a baby alone. I offered you a bridge, but you wanted a throne built on someone else's humiliation."
She placed a single document in front of him.
"What is this?" Julian whispered.
"A debt assumption agreement," Claire said. "I will cover the venue expenses so the service workers, the florists, and the caterers get paid. Every single working person at that wedding will receive double their contracted wage today."
May you like
Julian looked up with faint hope. "And Sophia? And me?"
"You will pay me back. Every cent, with four percent interest. On a strict five-year schedule. No gifts. No bailouts."
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