Chapter 2
Chapter 2 — Seventy-Two Hours Later
Nathan Brooks did not return home until the morning of the third day.
He expected tears.
An argument.
Perhaps silence.
Instead, he found an empty mansion.
The wrought-iron gates opened automatically, but the driveway that had once displayed six luxury cars stood deserted. The fountains still flowed. The gardens remained immaculate.
Yet the house felt lifeless.
He stepped inside.
"Olivia?"
No answer.
"Margaret?" he called for the housekeeper.
Nothing.
Every servant was gone.
Every family portrait had disappeared from the walls.
Even the piano Olivia had played every Sunday afternoon was missing.
Only dustless outlines remained where paintings had once hung.
His phone vibrated.
It was his father.
"Nathan," Richard Brooks barked, "where the hell are you?"
"I'm home."
"No, you're not. Get to headquarters. Now."
Nathan frowned.
"What happened?"
"The board happened."
Thirty minutes later, Nathan burst into Brooks Global's executive floor.
Security stopped him before he reached the elevators.
"I'm Nathan Brooks."
The guard nodded politely.
"I know, sir."
"So move."
"I'm sorry."
The guard handed him a sealed envelope.
"Your access privileges were revoked yesterday."
Nathan laughed.
"By who?"
"The Chairwoman."
He stared blankly.
"What chairwoman?"
The boardroom doors opened.
Inside sat every major investor.
Every senior executive.
Every board member.
And at the head of the table...
An empty leather chair.
Richard Brooks slammed both hands onto the table.
"Where is she?"
The lead attorney adjusted his glasses.
"Ms. Sterling has chosen not to attend."
Nathan frowned.
"Why would Olivia be here?"
The attorney slowly turned toward him.
"Because Mrs. Olivia Sterling owns fifty-eight percent of Brooks Global."
Silence.
Nathan blinked.
"That's impossible."
Another document slid across the polished table.
"The Sterling Family Trust quietly acquired controlling shares over the past eight years."
Nathan's heartbeat quickened.
"No..."
"The mergers."
"The investments."
"The emergency capital during the recession."
"The overseas expansion."
"They all came from Sterling Capital."
Richard's face turned pale.
"You told us those investors were anonymous."
"They were."
Nathan grabbed the papers with trembling hands.
Every signature.
Every approval.
Every rescue loan.
Olivia Sterling.
He had signed hundreds of contracts without ever noticing the name hidden behind holding companies.
The attorney spoke again.
"Mrs. Sterling exercised her majority voting rights yesterday morning."
The next sentence felt like an execution.
"You have been removed as CEO."
Richard whispered,
"No..."
The attorney continued.
"Brooks Global has also been sold."
Nathan's knees nearly gave out.
"Sold?"
"Effective immediately."
Across the city...
Olivia stood on the balcony of Sterling Estate.
Her assistant approached quietly.
"The acquisition is complete."
She accepted the tablet.
Every Brooks asset had transferred exactly as planned.
Factories.
Patents.
Corporate accounts.
Private jets.
Even the Brooks family penthouse.
Sold.
Liquidated.
Or absorbed.
"What about Nathan?"
"He has approximately forty-three thousand dollars left in his personal account."
Olivia looked toward the sunrise.
"He'll survive."
Her assistant hesitated.
"He keeps calling."
She smiled faintly.
"Block every number."
That evening...
Camille finally answered Nathan's call.
"Nathan..."
"I lost everything."
Silence.
"I need you."
Another pause.
Then Camille sighed.
"I never thought she'd actually leave."
Nathan closed his eyes.
"Neither did I."
"You said she couldn't live without you."
"I was wrong."
"You certainly were."
The line went dead.
Nathan called again.
Blocked.
May you like
For the first time in his life...
He had nowhere to go.
