I Married The Disabled Billionaire Then My Family Begged Me To Come Back Chapter 07
The Real Heir Returns
Henry’s face changes instantly. One second, he looks thrilled.
The next, he looks ready to choke.
He points at me and starts shouting.
“You ungrateful little monster!”
“You donated the shares?”
“You’re insane!”
I ignore his useless rage, pick up a glass of champagne, and raise it toward them.
“Enjoy your night.”
“And whatever you do…”
“Don’t regret it.”
“Regret?” Stella sneers. “Why would we regret anything?”
She’s about to keep mocking me when the ballroom lights suddenly dim.
A bright spotlight hits the stage at the front of the room.
The whole ballroom goes quiet.
Julian Sterling walks onto the stage in a loud white suit.
He looks smug. Excited. Drunk on his own ambition.
He grips the microphone and smiles at the crowd.
“Thank you all for coming tonight.”
“As everyone knows, my older brother, Adrian Sterling, was unfortunately paralyzed in a car crash.”
“He is no longer able to lead Sterling Group.”
“For the future of the company, the board has reached a unanimous decision.”
“Starting today, I, Julian Sterling, officially take over as chairman of Sterling Group.”
Thunderous applause fills the room.
Henry and Silas clap the hardest.
Their faces are full of that ugly worship people show when they think they picked the winning side.
Julian raises a hand, enjoying every second.
“There is one more thing I need to announce.”
“My brother’s wife, Claire Hale, has proven herself unworthy of the Sterling name.”
“So today, on my brother’s behalf, I’ll remove her from…”
Bang.
Before he can finish, the massive bronze doors of the ballroom are shoved open from the outside.
The sound is so loud it hurts. The whole room freezes.
Against the harsh backlight, a tall, cold figure appears in the doorway.
No wheelchair.
No cane.
The moment everyone sees his face, the room falls dead silent.
Someone drops a wineglass.
It shatters against the floor.
“Adrian Sterling?”
“Wasn’t he paralyzed?”
“How is he standing?”
Julian’s microphone slips from his hand and hits the floor with a sharp screech.
His face turns white.
“Your legs…”
“They were destroyed.”
“This is impossible.”
“This can’t be real.”
Adrian doesn’t even spare him a real look.
Behind him, his chief assistant, Marcus River, walks forward and plugs a drive into the control panel.
The giant LED screen behind the stage lights up.
One file after another appears.
Commercial fraud.
Embezzlement.
Money laundering.
Fake financial reports.
And finally, proof that Julian hired someone to cause Adrian’s crash.
Every piece is clear.
Every charge is deadly.
Marcus’s voice is cold.
“Julian Sterling, you’re suspected of multiple serious crimes.”
“You can spend the rest of your life dreaming about being chairman from a prison cell.”
Federal financial crimes agents and a tactical team rush in from outside.
They move fast.
In under three minutes, Julian Sterling, who just stood on that stage like a king, is cuffed and dragged away like a criminal.
The guests are shaking.
No one dares to breathe too loud.
The Hales and Silas, so proud minutes ago, look completely frozen.
Stella’s face is white.
She clings to Silas’s arm so hard her fingers shake.
Henry looks like all the blood has drained out of him.
Adrian walks straight through the crowd.
Straight to me.
Then he reaches out and takes my hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
He stands beside me and turns to the room.
His eyes sweep across the crowd like a blade.
At last, they land on the Hales.
His cold, powerful voice carries through the microphone and fills the entire ballroom.
“Let me introduce someone properly.”
“This is Claire Hale.”
“My lawful wife.”
“She is also the largest controlling partner of Sterling Group.”
“And the top financial operator known as X.”
The whole room gasps.
Adrian tightens his hand around mine.
His gaze is arrogant, ruthless, and absolute.
“From this day forward, anyone who so much as touches her…”
“Will answer to me.”