Chapter 4 - The Puppet Master's Move
Arthur glanced at the screen, a chilling smirk touching his lips. "Kidnapping? Let them try."
He tapped the screen, dialing a direct private line. Within two rings, a gravelly voice answered on speaker. "Sterling. It is two in the morning. What happened?"
"Senator Ross," Arthur said calmly. "Your campaign received twelve million dollars from my charitable foundation last quarter. In ten minutes, Police Chief Jonathan Hayes will receive orders to launch an operation against my private aviation airfield. I suggest you retire him before he signs his own arrest warrant."
There was a tense silence on the line, followed by the sound of rapid shuffling of papers. "Hayes is dirty anyway, Arthur. I have a dossier on his offshore kickbacks from the Vance ports. Consider it done. He will be suspended by dawn."
"Good," Arthur said smoothly, ending the call.
Elena watched in sheer disbelief. In thirty seconds, her father had dismantled the very shield Diego’s family had bragged about for years. Victoria Vance had always reminded Elena that the police, the courts, and the press were in their pocket. Yet here was a man who moved senators like pawns on a chessboard.
"Rest now, Elena," Arthur said gently, brushing a damp strand of hair from her forehead. "The Sterling Medical Pavilion in Capital City is waiting for us. When you wake, you will no longer be Elena, the neglected daughter-in-law. You will be Elena Sterling, sole heiress to the Sterling throne."
Elena closed her eyes as the sedatives took effect, the steady rhythmic beep of the fetal monitor lulling her into safety. For the first time in three years, she felt no fear.
Hours later, Elena woke up in a penthouse suite at the city's most secure private hospital. Sunlight streamed through floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the skyline. Beside her bed stood a woman dressed in a crisp, sharp suit holding a leather portfolio.
"Good morning, Miss Sterling," the woman said with a crisp bow. "I am Evelyn Cross, your father's chief legal counsel. Mr. Sterling asked me to bring you the papers."
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"What papers?" Elena asked, sitting up against the plush pillows.
Evelyn opened the folder, revealing a thick stack of corporate documents. "The complete financial audit of Vance Industries. And the initial draft for their absolute liquidation."
