274 She stood before him with tears in her eyes...

Before Julian could process the revelation, his phone began vibrating frantically in his pocket. Then, every board member’s phone in the room began buzzing simultaneously.

"What is happening?!" Old Man Vance—Julian’s father and the founder of the company—staggered forward, pulling out his tablet with trembling hands.

The news alerts were rolling in like a relentless tsunami:

BREAKING NEWS: Sterling Global liquidates all holdings in Vance Financial Group effective immediately.

MARKET WATCH: Vance Financial stock plunges forty percent in after-hours trading.

FINANCIAL TIMES: Central Bank revokes line of credit for Vance Financial following major investor withdrawal.

"Julian! What did you do?!" Old Man Vance screamed, his face turning an unhealthy shade of purple as he grabbed his son by the collar. "Our credit line is gone! The banks are calling in our loans! We're bankrupt! We're completely ruined!"

Julian stood frozen, his eyes wide with utter terror. He looked at Clara, but she was no longer looking at him. She was watching the grand entrance of the ballroom.

The crowd parted instantly as heavy, authoritative footsteps echoed against the marble floor.

Marcus Sterling walked in.

Six feet three inches of pure, unadulterated power, clad in a bespoke charcoal suit, flanked by four personal security guards. His presence was so overpowering that even the billionaire tycoons in the room instinctively took a step back.

Marcus walked straight up to Clara. His icy demeanor melted instantly as he pulled her into a tight, fierce embrace.

"Are you okay, little sister?" Marcus murmured softly into her hair.

"I am now, Marcus," Clara whispered, resting her head against his chest before standing back up with renewed strength.

Marcus turned around, his eyes sweeping across the ballroom like a scythe. When his gaze landed on Julian, the temperature in the room dropped even lower.

"So," Marcus said, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "You are the dog who thought he could bite my sister's hand."

Julian took a trembling step backward, his knees shaking uncontrollably. "Mr. Sterling... please! This is a misunderstanding! I didn't know! Clara never told me she was a Sterling!"

"Why should she have to tell you?" Marcus asked, stepping closer until he towered over the trembling executive. "A man who only respects his wife when she carries a famous last name is not a man at all. He is a parasite."

"Marcus, please!" Julian begged, sweating profusely, dropping to his knees on the polished floor right in front of the entire elite society. "We're family! We've been married for three years! I love her! I was just stressed about the Dupont merger—"

"The Dupont merger?" Marcus chuckled darkly, glancing over at Chloe Dupont’s father, Richard Dupont, who was standing nearby, drenched in cold sweat. "Richard, tell him about your merger."

Richard Dupont immediately stepped forward, shoving his own daughter behind him, bowing frantically to Marcus. "Mr. Sterling! I assure you, Dupont Capital has zero association with this idiot! We hereby terminate all negotiations with Vance Financial immediately!"