DROWNED IN GOLD: A HEIRESS REBORN

Christian Kane didn't flinch. He walked over to the envelope, his dark eyes scanning the red wax seal bearing the falcon and anchor. A flicker of genuine shock crossed his stern face, quickly masked by cold professionalism.

""Richard’s personal seal,"" Christian observed, looking back up at her. ""He wore that signet on his pinky finger every day for forty years. Where did you get this?""

""Arthur Sterling,"" Maddie replied, shivering as the adrenaline began to ebb, leaving behind a deep, rattling chill. ""He was ambushed on Pier 4 ten minutes after giving it to me. They might have killed him.""

Christian reached behind him, grabbed a heavy cashmere throw from the sofa, and tossed it over her shoulders. The warmth was immediate, but Maddie’s gaze remained locked on his.

""Arthur is alive,"" Christian said flatly, pulling his phone from his pocket. ""He’s currently in my private medical transport. My men were monitoring Pier 4 the moment your car left Bradley's estate.""

Maddie stiffened, her eyes narrowing. ""You were watching me?""

""I was watching Bradley,"" Christian corrected, stepping closer. ""Your late father was my rival, Maddie, but he was a man of honor. Bradley Sterling is a rabid dog masquerading as an aristocrat. I knew he was embezzling from your father's offshore accounts, but without Richard's original covenants, I had no legal leverage to stop him.""

Christian pulled a small silver pocket knife from his trousers and carefully slid the blade beneath the wax seal. He extracted the thick parchment inside and unfolded it under the soft halogen lights.

Maddie held her breath. For months, she had lived under the shadow of Bradley’s manufactured debts, believing that her father had squandered his fortune before his death, leaving her dependent on Bradley's generosity.

Christian read the document in silence, his jaw clenching tighter with every passing second. Finally, he looked up at her, an unsettling intensity in his gray eyes.

""This changes everything,"" Christian said quietly. ""Your father didn't just leave you the estate. He disinherited the entire Sterling family branch, revoked Bradley’s trusteeship, and left you seventy-two percent of Vance Shipping.""

""And the remaining twenty-eight percent?"" Maddie asked.

""Held in trust,"" Christian replied, a dangerous smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. ""Controlled jointly by you and the person you marry—provided that marriage occurs before the annual shareholders' meeting at noon tomorrow. Otherwise, the shares liquidate to the open market, and Bradley’s hedge fund will buy them for pennies.""