PART 2: THE FALL OF STERLING GLOBAL
PART 2: THE FALL OF STERLING GLOBAL
The tactical team didn't belong to the police. They belonged to Vanguard Asset Protection—the private security firm owned entirely by Arya’s father, Professor Alistair Kensington.
Alistair stepped through the broken doorway, his face pale with a lethal, quiet rage, his yellow legal pad tightly gripped under his arm. Behind him, three federal corporate compliance officers stepped into the bedroom, their badges reflecting the dim chandelier light.
"Step away from my daughter, Vance," Alistair said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy register that broke through Vance’s courtroom composure.
Vance stammered, his eyes darting frantically from the streaming phone on the floor to the federal officers. "Professor... listen to me. This is an internal marital misunderstanding. Arya had too much champagne. She’s... she’s emotionally unstable due to the wedding stress."
"The audio stream has already been permanently logged into the Department of Justice database, Mr. Sterling," the lead compliance officer announced, sliding a red-stamped federal injunction across the velvet chair. "As of 12:04 a.m., your proxy voting authority over the Kensington AI patent has been entirely revoked under the Marital Fraud and Asset Protection Act."
Serena Croft shrunk back against the bedpost, her hands trembling so violently she dropped her champagne glass, the crystal shattering across the Persian rug right next to Arya's crumpled veil.
"You're a monster, Arya!" Serena shrieked, her voice hoarse with panic. "You ruined his name! You ruined our life!"
Arya didn't look at her. She slowly stood up from the floor, her maid of honor helping her steady her stance as she pulled a silk wrap over her bare shoulders. She looked at Vance, her face completely calm, devoid of any tears.
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"You thought because I was sheltered, I didn't understand the structure of a contract, Vance," Arya said softly, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. "But my father didn't just teach me how to build algorithms. He taught me how to trace variables. And you are officially a zero."
By 3:00 a.m., the news banners running across every major network on Wall Street read: STERLING GLOBAL STOCK PLUMMETS 45% AFTER ACCIDENTALLY BROADCASTING ENCRYPTED FRAUD SCHEME ON WEDDING NIGHT.
