Chapter 5: A New Reign
Chapter 5: A New Reign
Six months later, the disastrous wedding was nothing but a footnote in the financial pages.
Emily stood at the podium in a packed auditorium, the flash of cameras illuminating her face. She was no longer just Arthur Sterling’s daughter; she had just been named the sole CEO of Sterling Enterprises.
"Miss Sterling!" a reporter shouted over the din. "Critics say your aggressive acquisition of your former fiancé's assets was a vendetta. How do you respond?"
Emily smiled—a sharp, confident expression that commanded absolute silence in the room.
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"I don't have time for vendettas," Emily answered, leaning into the microphone. "I simply recognized an undervalued asset being grossly mismanaged by incompetent leadership. I corrected the error. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an empire to run."
She stepped away from the podium, leaving the press scrambling. As she walked down the corridor, Hayes fell into step beside her, handing her a tablet with the afternoon's stock projections. She didn't look back. The girl who had cried on the marble floor was dead, and the woman who replaced her was untouchable.
