Chapter 2 - The Sterling Wrath
The temperature in the hospital corridor seemed to plummet twenty degrees.
Daniel Pierce straightened his jacket, attempting to regain his corporate composure as the three Sterling brothers closed the distance. As the head of Pierce Development, Daniel was used to commanding rooms filled with intimidated investors, but the sheer, suffocating aura radiating from Julian, Marcus, and Christian Sterling made him instinctively step back.
“Excuse me,” Daniel said, flashing his practiced, boardroom smile. “This is a private wing. If you’re looking for a patient, you need to check at the front desk instead of barging in like—"
Julian Sterling didn't even look at him.
Julian’s gaze bypassed Daniel entirely, locking onto Claire. In two long strides, Julian was in front of her. The cold, ruthless titan of international shipping—a man who made global governments negotiate on his terms—gently reached out, his massive hands trembling ever so slightly as he cupped Claire’s face.
“Look at me, little bird,” Julian murmured, his voice thick with suppressed fury. “Are you hurt?”
Claire shook her head slowly, a single tear finally escaping her eye. “I’m okay, Julian. But... my room is down the hall.”
Marcus Sterling stepped up beside Julian, his sharp eyes scanning Vanessa from head to toe with a look of absolute disgust. Marcus pulled out a pristine white handkerchief and wordlessly wiped a smudge of dust off Claire’s bare shoulder where she had been shoved against the wall.
“Who touched her?” Marcus asked. His voice was dangerously soft, carrying the terrifying calm of a predator before the strike.
Christian Sterling, the youngest brother, didn’t ask questions. He pulled a sleek, encrypted tablet from his coat, tapped it twice, and looked up at Daniel Pierce.
“Daniel Pierce,” Christian stated, reading aloud as if reciting a death sentence. “CEO of Pierce Development Group. Net worth approximately eighty million dollars. Currently leveraged to the absolute hilt with three major commercial loans coming due next month.” Christian tilted his head, a cold smirk touching his lips. “You know, Daniel, it’s fascinating. You’ve been cheating on our sister with her own sister, bleeding her dry, and tonight, you actually had the audacity to lay your hands on her.”
Daniel’s face drained of all color. He looked from Christian to Julian, his voice cracking. “Your... sister? Claire is an orphan. She doesn't have brothers.”
“She didn't have you either, for the past seven years, because we respected her foolish wish to live an ordinary life with an ordinary man,” Julian said, finally turning his head.
Julian’s eyes met Daniel’s. In that single glance, Daniel felt the crushing weight of a multi-billion-dollar empire crashing down on his chest.
“You fool,” Julian whispered. “You had a Sterling. And you treated her like trash.”
Vanessa, sensing the absolute terror in the air, tried to slip backward toward the exit. “I-I don’t know what’s happening here,” she stammered, her voice shaking. “Claire, tell them! Tell them we’re just family!”
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Christian snapped his fingers. Two burly men in plain clothes—private security detail flown in on a private jet twenty minutes prior—instantly blocked the exit, trapping Vanessa and Daniel in the hallway.
“Lock down this hospital,” Julian commanded, not raising his voice, yet every nurse, doctor, and security guard froze in obedience. “Nobody enters. Nobody leaves. And bring the hospital administrator to me immediately.”
