Chapter 26
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Julian was leaning heavily against his mahogany desk, massaging his temples as he listened to Marcus detail the agonizingly slow progress of the corporate audit. The situation looked bleak; Sterling’s operatives were intentionally stalling the financial review to prolong Julian's suspension.
"Dad!" Lily burst into the study, completely ignoring the fact that he was on the phone. She was practically vibrating with adrenaline, clutching her blue spiral notebook tightly against her chest.
"Hold on a second, Marcus," Julian said, lowering the phone and looking at his daughter with concern. "Lily, what's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt, but I found something," Lily said, rushing over to the desk and slamming the notebook open under the bright desk lamp. She pointed aggressively at the sketch of the intertwined 'V' and 'H' logo. "Do you know what this is?"
Julian frowned, leaning in to inspect the drawing. "It looks like the logo for Vanguard Holdings. Sterling’s primary subsidiary. Why did you draw this?"
"Because Victoria was wearing it," Lily explained rapidly, her words tumbling out in a rush of excitement. "When she grabbed me at the school, she had a huge ring on her finger with this exact logo. I remembered it, so I looked it up on my tablet."
Julian’s brow furrowed in confusion. "Sterling gives those rings to his top executive officers as a symbol of corporate loyalty. Why would Victoria have one?"
"Because she is one," Lily declared triumphantly, sliding the tablet onto the desk and pointing at the screen. "Look! She is listed as the new Vice President of Acquisitions for Vanguard Holdings. He isn't just paying for her lawyers, Dad. He hired her."
Julian stared at the screen, the pieces of the puzzle violently snapping into place.
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"Marcus, are you still there?" Julian asked, putting the phone on speaker, his voice trembling with a sudden, lethal clarity.
"I heard everything," Marcus replied, his professional tone completely replaced by genuine shock. "Julian, if Victoria is a salaried executive at Vanguard, and Sterling is using Vanguard funds to finance a personal lawsuit against you to impact your corporate standing... that isn't just a conflict of interest. That is federal corporate espionage and illegal extortion."
