Chapter 7 - The Viper in a Tuxedo
Claire did not panic. Panic was a luxury reserved for the weak, and she had buried her weakness the day Ethan tried to steal her inheritance.
"You think you can intimidate me with a shadow buy, Julian?" Claire replied, her voice dropping to a lethal, uncompromising chill. "I just put a man in federal prison for trying to take my company. I have no problem reserving the cell right next to him for you."
Julian let out a low, dark laugh that sent a shiver down her spine. "Ethan was a sloppy, narcissistic amateur. I am the apex predator he wished he could be. I will see you tonight at the Memphis Children’s Hospital Charity Gala, Claire. Wear something spectacular. We have a merger to discuss."
The line went dead.
That evening, the grand ballroom of the Peabody Hotel was a masterpiece of Southern elegance. Thousands of crystal lights illuminated the city’s elite. Claire arrived wearing a razor-sharp, midnight-blue evening gown that fit like armor. She moved through the crowd with flawless grace, completely unbothered by the whispers and flashing cameras of the society press.
She felt him before she saw him. The air in the room seemed to pull in a singular direction.
Julian Sterling stepped into her path. He was devastatingly handsome, wearing a bespoke tuxedo that cost more than a luxury car, with piercing, icy gray eyes that looked at Claire as if he wanted to devour her and her empire in the same bite.
"You didn't disappoint," Julian murmured, signaling a waiter for two glasses of champagne. He handed one to Claire. "To your glorious reign, Queen Claire."
May you like
"Cut the theatrics, Julian," Claire said, ignoring the glass. "You bought twenty-nine percent of my company. You don't have the leverage to force a hostile takeover. My board will block you."
Julian leaned in close, the scent of expensive cedar and danger wrapping around her. "I don't need the board. Ethan was desperate before he went to prison. He took out a massive, two-hundred-million-dollar mezzanine loan to cover up his initial embezzlement. He used Hartwell’s commercial real estate as collateral. I bought that debt yesterday. If you don't sign over majority control to me tonight, I will call in the loan tomorrow morning. Hartwell Holdings will be bankrupt by noon."
