Chapter 5 - The Panic of the Powerful
"Carter Holdings..." Arthur Mitchell whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "As in... Eleanor Carter's firm? The entity that just bought out the mezzanine debt on our commercial real estate portfolio in Manhattan?"
Daniel smiled. "The CEO’s first name is not Eleanor, Mr. Mitchell. But yes, Carter Holdings holds seventy million dollars in Mitchell & Croft's restructured debt."
Brandon looked at his father, confused. "Dad, what are you talking about? Who cares about the corporate parent company? Just pay the three hundred grand so we can cut the cake!"
"Shut up, Brandon!" Arthur roared, turning on his son with such fury that the young man visibly flinched. "Shut your mouth!"
He turned back to Daniel, his hands actually shaking. "Mr. Brooks. Please tell me the CEO is not here today."
Daniel tilted his head. "The CEO of Carter Holdings attends every flagship event at this venue, Mr. Mitchell. She was present on the terrace less than an hour ago."
A cold draft seemed to blow through the Sterling family.
Vanessa laughed, though it sounded like glass cracking. "The CEO was on the terrace? We were the only ones out there! Aside from our family and... and..."
Vanessa stopped. Her eyes darted wildly.
Eleanor let out a weak, nervous giggle. "Arthur, don't let this man frighten you. The only person out on the terrace was my eldest daughter, Samantha. A useless girl who abandoned the family twelve years ago to open some bankrupt diner down south. She doesn't have two pennies to rub together."
Richard nodded eagerly, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Exactly! Samantha is a failure! She's probably hiding in the parking lot right now, crying into her steering wheel. She has nothing to do with Carter Holdings!"
"Is that what you told yourself, Richard?"
A clear, resonant voice echoed from the grand stone staircase leading down from the west wing.
The guests parted instantly like the Red Sea.
I stepped into the late afternoon sunlight.
The navy thrift-store dress was gone. In its place, I wore a bespoke emerald silk jumpsuit tailored to perfection, hugging my frame with undeniable elegance. A five-carat diamond pendant rested against my collarbone, catching the dying rays of the sun. My hair was styled in soft, immaculate waves, and on my feet were pair of custom Christian Louboutin heels that clicked rhythmically against the stone steps.
Behind me walked four armed estate security guards in crisp black suits, along with Julian Davies, the lead partner of Davies & Sterling Law Firm—one of the most feared corporate litigators on the East Coast.
The entire lawn went dead silent.
Vanessa’s jaw dropped open. Her hands went limp, and her champagne glass slipped from her fingers, shattering against the brick patio below.
"S-Samantha?" Eleanor stammered, taking a step backward, her hand flying to her chest. "What... what did you steal? Whose clothes are those?"
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"Eleanor, be quiet!" Arthur Mitchell hissed, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. He shoved past Richard Sterling, practically running toward the base of the stairs.
"Ms. Carter!" Arthur gasped, bowing his head slightly in an instinctive gesture of deference. "Ms. Carter, I had no idea... I had absolutely no idea you were related to these people!"
