CHAPTER 3 — THE EMPIRE BEGINS TO FALL
The second recording wasn't about Lily.
It was about money.
Hidden cameras captured Harrison Sterling meeting with executives inside a private boardroom.
Bribes.
Fraud.
Illegal acquisitions.
Destroyed competitors.
Manufactured bankruptcies.
One crime after another.
Every guest watched in stunned silence.
Several investors slowly stood.
Then quietly walked toward the exits.
Phones rang across the cathedral.
Stock alerts.
Breaking news.
Federal warrants.
Banking freezes.
My phone vibrated once.
Then twice.
Then ten times.
The investigation had gone public.
Federal prosecutors entered through the church doors before the ceremony could continue.
"Mr. Harrison Sterling."
"You are under investigation."
Julian stared at his father.
"Dad..."
For the first time in his life...
The billionaire looked afraid.
He turned toward me.
"You planned this."
I nodded.
"For six months."
"You baited us."
"No."
"I gave you every chance to stop."
"You chose this."
Julian suddenly grabbed Lily's wrist.
"We're leaving."
Before he could take another step...
Two federal agents stepped between them.
"Sir."
"Let her go."
He released her immediately.
Not because he wanted to.
Because for the first time...
Power no longer belonged to him.
Outside, news helicopters circled overhead.
Television crews filled the church steps.
Within hours, Sterling Industries lost billions in market value.
May you like
The empire that had taken forty years to build...
Started collapsing before sunset.
