Chapter 6: The Master of the Board
Isabella slid a single, thick document across the smooth surface of the desk.
Julian glanced at it dismissively, expecting a lawsuit or a fake deed. But as his eyes focused on the bold, black ink at the top of the page, the blood instantly vanished from his face.
It was a majority shareholder transfer agreement.
And at the very bottom, signed in fresh ink, was the name: Isabella Lancaster.
Julian’s knees practically buckled.
The Lancaster Family Syndicate. The untouchable, phantom billionaires who controlled the international hedge funds that kept Julian's entire banking empire afloat. For years, Julian had answered to a faceless board of directors, terrified of the invisible elite who held his financial life in their hands.
The woman sitting in front of him wasn't just a wealthy bride. She was the sole heir to the Lancaster throne. She was his boss.
"N-No," Julian choked out, his voice instantly dropping to a pathetic, high-pitched wheeze. He stumbled backward, his hands shaking violently as he looked from the document to Isabella's terrifyingly calm face. "Miss Lancaster... I... I had absolutely no idea. I swear to God, I didn't know it was you."
Beatrice’s triumphant smile collapsed. "Julian? What are you doing? Tell her you're going to ruin her!"
"Shut up!" Julian screamed, violently ripping his arm away from his wife's grasp. He looked at Beatrice with pure, unadulterated hatred. "You stupid, arrogant woman! Do you have any idea who this is?! Her family owns my bank! They own everything!"
Beatrice gasped, physically recoiling as if she had been struck. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking like a hollow ghost.
Isabella stood up slowly, her presence dominating the massive room.
"Your bank has been heavily mismanaged, Julian," Isabella said, her voice slicing through the air like a scalpel. "My father was going to give you another quarter to correct your margins. But after witnessing the kind of vile, classless toxicity you and your wife bring to my city... I’ve decided to restructure immediately."
"Please!" Julian dropped to his knees right there on the expensive carpet, tears of sheer panic welling in his eyes. "Please, Miss Lancaster! I’ll divorce her! I’ll strip her of every penny! She won't get a single cent in the settlement! Just please, don't take my company!"
Beatrice let out a blood-curdling shriek of pure betrayal. "Julian! You can't do this to me!"
"I already did," Julian spat, not even looking at her.
Isabella watched the pathetic display with cold indifference. She picked up her teacup, turning her back on the shattered couple.
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"You have exactly one hour to vacate my building," Isabella commanded, looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the city she now owned. "And Julian? Make sure she leaves with exactly what she came into this world with. Nothing."
The price of arrogance had been paid. And Beatrice's luxurious life was officially over.
