Chapter 1: Seventy-Two Hours
Nathan didn't return until the third morning.
He expected silence.
Instead...
He found absence.
The mansion gates stood open.
The fountains had been turned off.
Luxury cars that had once lined the driveway had disappeared.
Even the Brooks family crest had been removed from the entrance.
He rushed inside.
Empty.
The paintings were gone.
The furniture had been sold.
The grand piano his father treasured had vanished.
Only a single envelope rested on the marble floor.
His hands trembled as he opened it.
Inside was a copy of the divorce petition.
Attached beneath it was another document.
Notice of Immediate Board Resolution.
Nathan frowned.
His eyes skimmed the page once.
Twice.
Then his face turned white.
Every board member had voted unanimously to remove him as CEO.
Effective immediately.
His voting shares...
Worthless.
His executive access...
Revoked.
His company email...
Deleted.
"No..."
He grabbed his phone and dialed his father's number.
It went straight to voicemail.
He called the Chief Financial Officer.
Blocked.
The legal department.
No answer.
Finally Camille answered.
"Nathan?"
"They fired me!"
Silence.
"I... I thought your wife would fix everything."
Nathan's heartbeat stopped.
"What did you say?"
Camille hesitated.
"I mean... everyone knew investors only trusted Brooks Group because of Evelyn."
The sentence hit harder than any punch.
For the first time...
Nathan wondered whether he had ever built anything himself.
...
Across the city...
Evelyn Sterling walked calmly into Sterling Global Headquarters.
Hundreds of employees stood as she entered.
"Good morning, Chairwoman."
Every voice echoed through the marble atrium.
Nathan had never once seen this building.
Never once asked why every investor seemed eager to meet Evelyn.
He had mistaken elegance for dependence.
Silence for weakness.
Now...
His entire empire belonged to the woman he had abandoned on their wedding night.