Chapter 1 - Blood on the Boulevard
Pierce Sterling did not raise his voice. When men of his stature lost control, glass shattered; when he whispered, empires trembled. He guided Claire and the shivering infant into the plush leather interior of his bulletproof Maybach, motioning for his personal driver to blast the heat. Outside, the Paris street buzzed with indifferent afternoon traffic, completely oblivious to the ruined heiress who had just been begging for loose change on a curb.
Claire clutched baby Leo to her chest, her knuckles bruised and blackened with soot. The plastic cup had fallen onto the carpeted floorboard, scattering three copper coins.
""Derek changed the digital locks six weeks ago,"" Claire whispered, her voice like cracked porcelain. ""He and his mother said Leo wasn't his. They took my passport, my truck, the deed to the townhouse you gifted me... and then Evelyn made me sign the wire release while Derek held Leo over the balcony.""
Pierce’s hand remained steady as he pressed a monogrammed handkerchief against the dirt on his daughter’s cheek, but his pulse surged with venom. He took his phone back out and dialed Marcus Cross, chief legal counsel of Sterling Global Holdings.
""Cancel my dinner at the Élysée,"" Pierce said into the receiver, staring straight ahead through tinted glass. ""Summon the Parisian prefecture, deploy forensic accountants to Banque Privée, and locate Derek Vance within thirty minutes.""
""Understood, Mr. Sterling,"" Marcus answered. ""What is our objective?""
Pierce lowered the glass partition between the passenger cabin and driver, his eyes cold as ice. ""Eradication.""
Before Marcus could respond, Claire’s burner phone vibrated violently inside her tattered bag, displaying an incoming video call from an unknown private number.
May you like
Pierce grabbed the screen and tapped accept. Derek’s smug face appeared against the backdrop of Claire’s former marble kitchen, a flute of vintage champagne in his hand.
""Hey, beggar girl,"" Derek sneered, unaware of the man sitting beside her. ""I hope you found enough coins for bread today, because in one hour, Leo’s adoption papers go public.""
