Chapter 3 - The Trap is Set
By four o'clock in the morning, my living room had been transformed into a silent, high-tech command center.
Dr. Chen, a renowned forensic pathologist, gently worked on Chloe, cleaning her cuts, bandaging her torn skin, and taking dozens of high-resolution photographic samples of the defensive wounds covering her arms and back. Every photo was logged into a secure digital ledger.
Meanwhile, Robert sat at my dining table surrounded by three top criminal defense attorneys and his financial intelligence director.
“Report,” Robert commanded without looking up from his tablet.
His financial director, a razor-sharp woman named Ellen, slid a thick black folder across the table.
“Victoria Dudley is completely bankrupt, sir,” Ellen revealed. “Her late husband left her with a mountain of hidden debt. Her estate in Coral Gables is currently sixty days away from foreclosure. Her son, Lewis, has gambling debts exceeding six hundred thousand dollars with an offshore syndicate based out of Nassau.”
I gasped, gripping the back of Chloe’s chair. “Six hundred thousand dollars?!”
“That’s why they were so obsessed with Chloe’s condo,” Ellen explained, pointing to a document on her tablet. “The $1.8 million condo in Brickell is completely paid off, held in Chloe’s sole name with no liens. Victoria’s plan was to force Chloe to sign a quitclaim deed transferring ownership to a shell company controlled by Lewis. They were going to mortgage the property by noon today to satisfy Lewis’s bookies and stop the foreclosure on Victoria’s house.”
Tears overflowed from Chloe’s swollen eyes. “He… he never loved me at all,” she whimpered. “The entire wedding… the romance… it was all just a setup to steal my home.”
Robert walked over, kneeling beside Chloe’s bed and gently stroking her hair.
“Listen to me, baby,” Robert said with absolute tenderness. “You are a Sterling. You were born from strength. You are not going to shed another tear for that coward.”
Suddenly, Chloe’s phone buzzed on the nightstand.
The screen lit up with a photo of Lewis Dudley.
The room went dead silent. Everyone looked at Robert.
“Put it on speaker,” Robert instructed quietly. “Do not say a word, Chloe. Let him talk.”
Chloe’s shaking hand swiped the screen and pressed the speaker button.
“Chloe!” Lewis’s voice boomed through the speaker, arrogant, cold, and entirely devoid of remorse. “Where the hell are you?! My mother is furious! You ruined the wedding night by running out like a crazy person!”
Chloe squeezed her eyes shut, her jaw trembling.
“Listen to me, you stupid bitch,” Lewis continued, his tone dripping with malice. “You have until eight this morning to meet us at my mother’s attorney’s office in downtown Miami to sign the transfer papers for the Brickell condo. If you aren't there, my mother’s friends are going to release the footage they took of you on the floor tonight. We’ll ruin your reputation, send those videos to your mother’s business clients, and make sure you never work in this city again. Do you understand me?!”
I took a step forward, ready to scream into the microphone, but Robert caught my arm.
Robert leaned down toward the phone, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly tranquil tone.
“Lewis.”
A heavy pause hit the other end of the line.
“Who… who is this?” Lewis stammered, his arrogance suddenly wavering.
“This is Robert Sterling,” my ex-husband said softly. “I believe you have something that belongs to my daughter.”
“Mr. Sterling!” Lewis gasped, his voice instantly turning slick and panicked. “Sir! You don't understand! Chloe had a mental breakdown last night! She attacked my mother! We were just trying to restrain her—”
“Save your opening statement for the grand jury, Lewis,” Robert cut him off smoothly. “Enjoy your breakfast. It will be the last meal you eat as a free man.”
Robert hung up the call. He looked at Alistair.
“Alistair, assemble the legal team. We aren't just filing police reports.”
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A dark, cold smile spread across Robert’s face.
“We’re crashing Victoria Dudley’s post-wedding victory brunch.”
