Chapter 7 - The Beggar’s Parade
At eleven-thirty, Julian stood before the towering glass monolith of Sterling Tower in Manhattan. Eleanor stood beside him, draped in a full-length chinchilla fur coat, holding her head high with arrogant defiance despite the panic radiating off her son.
"Julian, stop fidgeting," Eleanor hissed, adjusting her pearls. "Arthur Sterling is a businessman. He understands leverage. We are the Vance family. Our name carries two centuries of social capital in this city. He will restructure the loan once I speak with him."
"Mother, Sterling doesn't care about social capital!" Julian whispered furiously, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "He eats Wall Street banks for breakfast! If he doesn't grant us an extension, we are bankrupt by five o'clock today!"
"Then we offer him a seat on our cultural foundation board," Eleanor scoffed. "These self-made billionaires are desperate for old-money validation. He will be honored to bail us out."
They passed through the intense security checkpoint in the lobby, escorted by two stoic guards into the private express elevator reserved exclusively for the Sterling executive family.
As the elevator shot up to the eighty-fifth floor, Julian checked his phone again. Still no word from Claire. He felt a fleeting pang of annoyance. *Selfish little bitch. If she were here, I could at least claim domestic hardship to soften Sterling's resolve.*
The elevator doors opened to an expanse of polished white marble overlooking the Manhattan skyline. A receptionist in a sharp gray dress stood up immediately.
"Mr. Julian Vance? Mrs. Eleanor Vance?" she asked with chilled courtesy. "Chairman Sterling is waiting in the main boardroom. Follow me."
Julian smoothed down his bespoke lapels, taking a deep breath to summon every ounce of the smooth, prep-school charm that had gotten him through law school. Eleanor adjusted her posture, raising her chin like a queen gracing commoners with her presence.
The receptionist pushed open the heavy brass doors of the boardroom.
May you like
Julian stepped inside with an outstretched hand and an practiced smile. "Chairman Sterling, thank you so much for granting us this audi—"
The words died in his throat.
