Chapter 9 - The King and the Queen
The glass double doors of the Vance Tower boardroom were twenty feet high, imported Italian oak, and heavily guarded.
At exactly 8:55 AM, the doors were thrown open so violently they cracked against the marble walls.
Marcus Croft was standing at the head of the massive obsidian conference table, a smug smile plastered across his face, a pen in his hand, ready to sign the final takeover documents.
Thirty of Chicago's wealthiest board members sat around him.
His smile vanished instantly.
Julian strode into the room, his presence completely dominating the space. He wasn't wearing a tuxedo anymore. He was wearing his dark trousers and a crisp white shirt, the sleeves rolled up, looking like a man who had just walked through fire.
And walking right beside him, her head held high, was me.
I was still in my stained black uniform. The silver Sterling locket rested proudly against my collarbone.
Behind us walked Evelyn Vance, leaning on Julian's arm, and flanking us were four armed FBI agents, led by Director Hayes.
The boardroom erupted into chaotic murmurs.
"Julian!" Marcus barked, his face turning a dangerous shade of purple. "Security! Remove this lunatic and his maid from my building!"
None of the security guards moved. They were looking at the FBI windbreakers.
Marcus’s eyes darted to the woman holding Julian's arm. He blanched, his pen dropping from his hand and clattering onto the table.
"Evelyn?" Marcus breathed, looking as though he had seen a ghost.
"Hello, Marcus," Evelyn said, her voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. "You look terrible. Guilt ages a man, doesn't it?"
"This is absurd!" Marcus shouted, recovering his bluster. "Director Hayes, arrest this man for trespassing! I control this company as of midnight!"
"You control nothing," Julian said, his voice echoing through the silent boardroom.
Julian stepped forward. He took the heavy, leather-bound Sterling Ledger from my hands and dropped it directly into the center of the obsidian table.
The heavy thud sounded like a gavel falling.
"The Sterling Ledger," Julian announced to the terrified board members. "Containing twenty years of offshore accounts, illegal wire transfers, and proof that Marcus Croft embezzled millions from this company and framed Arthur Sterling for the crime."
Marcus lunged for the book.
Director Hayes slammed his hand down on it first.
"Marcus Croft," the Director said sharply. "You are under arrest for racketeering, embezzlement, and the murder of Arthur Sterling."
"You have no proof of murder!" Marcus spat, spit flying from his lips as the agents grabbed his arms and forced them behind his back.
"I am the proof," Evelyn said calmly. "I watched you kill him in the gardens. And I am entirely ready to testify."
Marcus struggled violently against the agents. "You're a crazy old woman! Nobody will believe you! Julian, you fool, if you give them that ledger, you destroy your own father's legacy! Your money is tied into those accounts too!"
Julian looked at the man who had ruined our lives.
"I don't care," Julian said with absolute, icy conviction. "Let it burn."
The FBI agents dragged a screaming, cursing Marcus Croft out of the boardroom. The heavy doors clicked shut behind him, sealing his fate.
The remaining board members sat in stunned, terrified silence.
Julian turned to face the table.
"My father built this company on a lie," Julian told them, his voice steady. "But I will not. As of today, the Vance Corporation is dissolving its ties to all Croft assets. We will cooperate fully with the federal investigation."
He turned to me.
"And as for the Sterling shares that were stolen twenty years ago," Julian continued, looking deep into my eyes. "They are being returned, with full interest, to the rightful heir."
The board gasped.
Julian reached into his pocket.
He didn't pull out a pen, or a contract.
He pulled out a small, velvet box.
Right there, in front of the most powerful men in Chicago, Julian Vance dropped to one knee on the polished marble floor.
He opened the box. Inside was a breathtaking, flawless vintage diamond ring.
"Last night, I asked you to marry me because I wanted to cause a scandal," Julian said softly, completely ignoring the gasps of the board members. "But this morning, I am asking you because I cannot imagine spending the rest of my life without the bravest woman I have ever met."
Tears spilled down my cheeks.
I looked at the billionaire kneeling at my feet, in my stained uniform, with my father's locket around my neck.
"Yes," I whispered.
Julian smiled—a massive, genuine, beautiful smile. He slid the ring onto my finger and stood up, pulling me into a fierce, passionate kiss.
The room broke into hesitant, then enthusiastic applause.
Justice had been served. My father's name was cleared. My son, who was safely sleeping in Evelyn's lap in the lobby outside, would grow up in a home filled with truth, not secrets.
It was a perfect, happy ending.
Until Director Hayes walked back into the room, holding the open Sterling Ledger, his face completely pale.
"Mr. Vance," the Director interrupted quietly. "There's a problem."
Julian pulled away from me, frowning. "What is it?"
"We ran the final offshore account listed on the last page of the ledger," Hayes said, pointing to a string of numbers. "The account holding the bulk of the missing millions. It doesn't belong to Marcus Croft."
I stepped closer, looking at the page.
"Who does it belong to?" I asked.
May you like
Hayes looked at me.
"It belongs to Leo Hayes," the Director said. "Your seven-year-old son."
