“Mr. Sterling is on line one.”

“The shares are dropping,” Chloe whispered, her fingers flying over her screen.

“We are losing the European market.”

“Shut up, Chloe,” Victoria said.

She took another step toward me, her leather gloves creaking as she clenched her fists.

“You think you have won, Natalie?” Victoria asked.

“You think a few panicked board members can destroy fifty years of work?”

“I built this empire.”

“I decide who lives and who dies in this family.”

I held the ledger tighter against my chest, feeling the cold brass corners dig into my skin.

“You killed Arthur,” I said, my voice echoing in the rafters of the warehouse.

“And you let this imposter take his son’s place.”

“I did what was necessary to preserve the name,” Victoria said, her eyes flashing with a cold, desperate pride.

Her admission went straight into the microphone of my phone, broadcasting to everyone still connected.

“And now the world knows,” I said.

A sharp pain shot through my lower abdomen, much stronger than the first.

I gasped, my knees buckling slightly.