BLOODLINE OF BETRAYAL: THE HEIR’S FALL AND RISE

Rain lashed against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Sterling Enterprises boardroom on the sixty-fifth floor. It was two in the morning, yet all nine board members sat around the polished mahogany table, their faces grim and illuminated only by tablet screens.

At the head of the table sat Arthur Pendelton, the oldest shareholder and Mark’s former mentor.

The double doors swung open with a bang. Mark strode in, drenched from the rain, carrying Leo secured in an armored tactical infant carrier strapped to his chest. Behind him walked four armed private contractors who fanned out against the walls.

""What is the meaning of this circus, Arthur?"" Mark’s voice cut through the hum of the air conditioning.

""Mark, please sit down,"" Arthur said calmly, adjusting his gold-rimmed spectacles. ""You are under immense psychological strain. Your wife attempted to murder your child hours ago. A guard was found dead in your penthouse. You are compromised. The public has lost confidence, and our stock fell twenty percent in after-hours trading.""

""You staged a vote behind my back within three hours of my family being attacked,"" Mark said, leaning over the table, his knuckles whitening. ""Who called this emergency session?""

""I did,"" a smooth, cultured voice sounded from the shadows near the corner of the room.

A man stepped into the light. He wore an immaculate charcoal three-piece suit, his hair swept back, bearing an uncanny, bone-chilling resemblance to Mark himself.

Mark felt the air leave his lungs. ""Julian.""

Julian Sterling—Mark’s estranged half-brother, exiled to the European division five years ago after an embezzlement scandal that had nearly wrecked the family name.

""Hello, brother,"" Julian smiled coldly. ""I flew in from Zurich the moment I heard about Victoria's tragic breakdown. Such a shame. But the company cannot be left in the hands of an emotionally shattered man.""

Julian dropped a thick manila folder onto the center of the table.

""Furthermore,"" Julian continued, glancing at the baby on Mark's chest, ""the family trust strictly dictates that the executive seat can only be inherited by legitimate blood heirs. And according to these certified paternity results from Saint Jude’s...""