Chapter 10 - The Sovereign of Shadows
Vivienne cautiously led Camille into the illuminated threshold of the vault, followed closely by Eleanor, whose weapon remained raised. In the center of the subterranean command room, seated in a high-backed leather chair, was Arthur Sterling. He looked leaner, his silver hair cropped short, wearing a dark tactical jacket that made him appear decades younger than the frail patriarch they had buried in society pages.
On the massive wall monitors, live feeds displayed every room of the Sterling estate. Vivienne could see Julian stumbling down the cellar stairs, nursing a bloody shoulder, with Thomas trailing close behind like an insatiable specter. Arthur smiled thinly at his daughters, ignoring his wife’s trembling gun entirely. He commended Vivienne for her sharp mind and Camille for her endurance, declaring that the Sterling empire required ruthlessness, not sentimentality.
Eleanor leveled the gun directly between Arthur’s eyes, her voice shaking with rage as she called him a monster who had tortured his family for sport. Arthur didn't flinch. Instead, he pressed a button on his desk, bringing up an ultrasound scan on the main screen—Camille’s medical file from three days ago. ""Camille isn't carrying Julian's child,"" Arthur stated with chilling calm, watching Eleanor’s face drain of all color. ""She is carrying the surrogate child meant for the Sterling trust—conceived through an anonymous donor you never vetted, Eleanor.""
