Chapter 16: The Fall of the Empire
Richard Sterling was shaking so violently he could barely wrap his fingers around the heavy gold fountain pen.
“You’re destroying my family,” Richard whimpered, his eyes locked on the barrel of the gun. “My daughter’s life is ruined. My conglomerate will file for bankruptcy by dawn.”
“Your daughter destroyed her own life the second she put her hands on Maya,” Julian replied coldly. “Sign the paper.”
“Please,” Richard begged, looking desperately at Maya. “Ms. Ademi. Have mercy. I built this company from nothing. It’s my entire legacy.”
Maya walked up to the desk. The fear that had paralyzed her moments ago was completely gone, replaced by a cold, righteous fury.
“You didn’t build it from nothing, Richard,” Maya said, her voice steady and sharp as broken glass. “You built it by stepping on people like me. You built it by stealing art you could never create, and silencing the people you stole it from.”
“I was just doing business,” Richard choked out.
“And so are we,” Maya countered fiercely. “Sign it. Or Julian pulls the trigger, and we take it all anyway.”
Richard swallowed a dry sob. He leaned over the desk, the nib of the pen scratching against the thick parchment of the contract. He signed his name, transferring every patent, every stolen design, and every ounce of intellectual property back to Maya Ademi.
He dropped the pen. It rolled off the desk and hit the floor.
Julian reached out and pulled the contract from the desk. He folded it neatly and handed it to Maya.
“It’s over,” Julian said.
“What happens to me now?” Richard whispered, sinking into his leather desk chair, a broken, defeated shell of a man.
Julian pulled out his phone one last time. He typed a short message and hit send.
“I just released your offshore ledgers to the SEC, the FBI, and the IRS,” Julian stated calmly. “You have about fifteen minutes before federal agents swarm this lobby. I suggest you call a very good lawyer.”
Julian turned his back on the billionaire. He walked over to Maya, gently placing his hand on the small of her back.
“Let’s go home,” he said.
Maya looked at Richard Sterling one last time. The billionaire was staring blankly at the burning documents in his fireplace, his empire turning to actual ash before his eyes.
She turned away, walking out of the penthouse with the most dangerous man in New York City by her side.
As the elevator doors closed, sealing them inside the private car, Maya finally let out a long, exhausted breath. She leaned her head against Julian’s shoulder.
“You had men watching my sister for three months?” she asked quietly.
“I had men watching your sister, your parents in Lagos, and your favorite barista,” Julian confessed, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close. “I wasn’t going to let anyone leverage your life against you.”
“You are absolutely terrifying,” Maya whispered, looking up at him.
“I know,” Julian smirked, his dark eyes softening completely as he looked down at her. “Does it bother you?”
Maya reached up, her fingers gently tracing the silver scar on his neck. “No,” she breathed. “It really doesn’t.”
Julian didn’t hesitate. He leaned down and kissed her.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was fierce, consuming, and desperate—the kiss of a man who had burned an entire city to the ground just to hold her. Maya kissed him back with equal fire, her hands tangling in his dark hair, entirely surrendering to the intoxicating danger of the man who had given her the world.
Have you ever met someone so fiercely protective that they completely changed the way you view trust and loyalty?
