Chapter 10
High above the city, in the penthouse suite of the Apex Holdings skyscraper, the morning light poured through the immaculate, floor-to-ceiling windows. The colors of the room were bright and vibrant, reflecting a world completely under control.
Bennett stood by the glass, holding a cup of black coffee. He was dressed flawlessly in a bespoke vest and trousers, looking every inch the billionaire titan he had secretly been for years. He watched the tiny, ant-like traffic moving through the snowy streets below, feeling no remorse, no guilt, and no hesitation.
Behind him, the soft, happy giggles of a child filled the massive room.
Bennett turned around, his icy demeanor melting instantly into a warm, adoring smile. Josephine was sitting in the center of the plush carpet. She was wearing her red holiday sweater, her fair cheeks rosy with pure joy. She was rocking back and forth on a magnificent, hand-carved mahogany rocking horse. The wood was polished to a mirror shine, adorned with genuine leather saddles and silver stirrups, a masterpiece of craftsmanship fit for a princess.
She was safe. She was happy. And she would never be humiliated by anyone ever again.
The sleek smartphone resting on the glass coffee table began to vibrate. The caller ID flashed on the screen: Robert Sterling.
Bennett set his coffee mug down and walked over to the table. He picked up the phone, staring at the name of the man who had tormented him his entire life, the man who had laughed while a four-year-old girl cried over a piece of garbage.
He slid his thumb across the screen and answered the call.
"Bennett!" Robert’s voice came through the speaker, desperate, ragged, and completely stripped of its former majesty. "Bennett, please! You can't do this! I'm your father! We can fix this! Silas is sorry, Clara is in tears, we have nothing left! You have to stop the auditors!"
Bennett listened to the pathetic, begging voice of the fallen patriarch. He didn't feel a surge of triumph, only a cold, absolute certainty that justice had finally been served.
"I told you," Bennett said, his voice low, measured, and dripping with an authority that Robert could no longer challenge. "I gave you my gift."
"Bennett, please!" Robert wept, the sound of an empire crumbling echoing in the background of the call. "What do you want from us? What more can you take?"
Bennett looked over at Josephine, who was laughing as she stroked the leather mane of her beautiful new horse. He looked back out at the city he now effectively owned.
May you like
"Everything," Bennett whispered.
Without waiting for a response, he ended the call, tossed the phone onto the couch, and walked over to join his daughter, leaving the Sterling family to drown in the ruins of their own making, while he prepared for the next chapter of his reign.
