Chapter 4 - THE VISITOR IN THE PARLORThe formal parlor on the penthouse’s upper level was designed for intimidation. With its dark mahogany wall panels, towering velvet drapes, and priceless antique Persian rugs, it had historically been the room where Julian entertained high-ranking corporate executives to seal multi-million-dollar acquisitions.
Today, however, it was going to host a very different kind of meeting.
I smoothed down the fabric of my emerald-green maternity dress, ensuring my posture was straight and commanding as I entered the room. Sitting nervously on the edge of a velvet settee was a middle-aged man wearing an ill-fitting gray suit that reeked of cheap cologne. His thinning hair was slicked back with heavy pomade, and his darting, nervous eyes revealed a man accustomed to operating in the murky gray margins of high-stakes corporate espionage.
“Mrs. Sterling,” the man scrambled to his feet, offering a sweaty, trembling hand. “I’m Arthur Pendelton. Senior managing director at Vanguard Capital Partners.”
I didn't take his hand. I walked past him, settling gracefully into the high-backed leather armchair at the head of the mahogany conference table. Marcus stood silently behind my left shoulder like a shadow of pure law.
“Mr. Pendelton,” I said, my voice carrying the freezing temperature of a winter storm. “You bypassed three layers of executive screening to get into my home. You have exactly two minutes to explain why before my security detail escorts you out the same way they threw my former husband out last night.”
Pendelton swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing violently. He reached into his briefcase and slid a glossy manila folder across the table.
“I know about Julian’s sudden… separation from Apex Global,” Pendelton began, leaning forward conspiratorially. “And I know that your holding company holds the exclusive patents to the automated logistics software that made Apex a market leader.”
“Get to the point,” I commanded.
“Vanguard Capital is prepared to offer you twenty million dollars for the full proprietary rights to that software,” Pendelton said, flashing a slick, oily smile. “We know Julian was the public face of the development team. Without him, your board might struggle to maintain investor confidence. We’re offering a clean, fast buyout. You walk away with a massive payday, and you won’t have to deal with the messy litigation Julian is undoubtedly going to try to drag you through.”
The silence in the room grew so dense you could cut it with a knife.
I looked down at the folder, then up at Pendelton’s sweating forehead. I let out a soft, mocking laugh.
“Twenty million?” I asked, tilting my head. “For software that generated over two hundred million in net revenue last fiscal year alone? Software that I personally coded and patented three years before I ever met Julian?”
Pendelton blinked rapidly, his oily smile faltering. “You… you coded it?”
“Julian couldn’t write a line of basic HTML if his life depended on it,” Marcus chimed in coldly from behind my shoulder. “He was a middle-management figurehead who took credit for my niece’s intellectual property because he threw a tantrum every time she tried to launch her own tech firm instead of playing the dutiful stay-at-home housewife.”
Pendelton shifted uncomfortably in his seat, realizing he had walked straight into a den of apex predators. “Well… regardless of who wrote it, Julian’s name is on the preliminary development filings—!”
“Preliminary filings which were formally assigned to Sterling Holdings under an exclusive corporate waiver signed by Julian himself during our honeymoon,” I interrupted, opening the folder and sliding the documents back across the table with two fingertips. “Tell your bosses at Vanguard Capital that if they ever send a corporate vulture to my home again to lowball me on my own intellectual property, I won't just reject their offer—I’ll short their stock until their entire venture capital firm is liquidated by sunrise.”
Pendelton snatched the folder off the table, his face draining of color. He grabbed his briefcase, practically tripping over the edge of the Persian rug as he scrambled backward toward the door.
“You’ll… you’ll regret this!” he stammered, his voice cracking. “Julian is going to sue you for everything you’re worth! He has rights!”
“Tell Julian to call my lawyers,” I replied sweetly, leaning back in my chair. “Oh wait… he can’t afford them anymore.”
As the heavy oak doors slammed shut behind Pendelton, Marcus let out a low whistle of amusement.
May you like
“Well,” Marcus smiled, crossing his arms. “That was entertaining. Though I suspect Julian is going to become significantly more desperate by sundown.”
“Let him,” I said, looking out toward the sparkling city below. “The storm is only just beginning for him.”
