Chapter 202

"Darling, have you checked the headlines?" Natalie's voice crackled through the phone.

Evelyn's fingers scrolled through the viral images of Vanessa and Victoria plastered across every social media platform. "I have. You're absolutely brilliant," she breathed.

The paparazzi had outdone themselves this time. Each photograph captured scandalous angles that would haunt the Sterling sisters for years to come.

Natalie's laughter carried a wicked edge. "I've personally ensured these stories stay trending for seventy-two hours minimum. Since they crave the spotlight, let's give them the full Broadway treatment."

Evelyn shivered at her friend's ruthlessness. Having Natalie as an ally felt like possessing a nuclear weapon in a pillow fight.

"Thank you, love. When does your flight land in Sterling Heights?" Evelyn asked, tracing the plummeting stock graphs on her tablet.

"Still wrapping up negotiations in Darai. Expect me by month's end. We'll have cocktails with Olivia when I return."

"Perfect. I'll have champagne chilling for your homecoming."

Their call ended just as Sterling Enterprises' stocks took another nosedive. Vanessa's disgrace had already wiped billions from the family fortune.

In the penthouse office, Simon delivered his grim report through gritted teeth. "Mr. Sterling, we've pressured every major outlet to take down the articles. But the damage..."

His voice faltered under Nathan's glacial stare. The bandages wrapping Nathan's forehead did nothing to soften his razor-sharp intensity.

"...The stories keep resurfacing. Someone's bankrolling their persistence. And the press corps has surrounded our lobby demanding statements."

Nathan's knuckles whitened around his Montblanc pen. After decades in corporate warfare, he recognized a coordinated attack when he saw one.

"Who's pulling the strings?" The question sliced through the tension like a scalpel.