Chapter 6 - The Feast of Fools
The elevator doors opened directly into the penthouse foyer, and Arthur Sterling stepped out, accompanied by his wife Eleanor and three other senior executives from Sterling Logistics.
Arthur was a tall, imposing man in his late sixties, with a thick mane of silver hair, steel-blue eyes, and a posture forged by thirty years in the boardroom. His wife, Eleanor, was an impeccably dressed woman known for her philanthropic work and her no-nonsense demeanor.
"Arthur! Eleanor! Welcome, welcome!" Wade boomed, striding across the foyer with his hands outstretched as if he owned the entire tower. "Welcome to my home. Please, come in!"
"Wade," Arthur said, shaking his hand with a firm, measured grip. He stepped into the sprawling living room, his sharp eyes taking in the double-height ceilings, the custom brass lighting fixtures, and the panoramic views of the illuminated river. "Impressive place you have here. Very impressive."
"Thank you, Arthur," Wade said smoothly, placing a hand on Arthur’s shoulder—a familiar gesture that caused Arthur’s left eyebrow to twitch slightly. "I believe that a man’s home reflects his vision. I designed this space to represent scale, ambition, and precision. Come, meet my family."
Roberta was practically curtsying. "Mr. Sterling! It is an absolute honor! Wade has spoken so much about you. As a mother, you can imagine how proud I am to see my boy achieve such greatness. He bought this place all on his own, you know. He’s always been an exceptional provider."
"Has he?" Arthur murmured, his eyes scanning the architectural details of the room.
Chloe stepped forward, holding a glass of champagne, her sons running wild in the background, chasing each other around the dining table. "Hi! I’m Chloe, Wade’s sister. We just moved in! Wade insists on taking care of all of us. He says family always comes first."
Arthur’s wife, Eleanor, looked at the screaming boys, then at Chloe’s bare feet resting on the designer sofa, and her expression tightened. "How... lively."
"And where is your wife, Wade?" Arthur asked, looking around the room. "You mentioned she recently gave birth."
"Oh, Ivy is in the kitchen," Wade dismissed casually, waving a hand. "She’s recovering, but she insisted on putting together a little dinner for us. Ivy! Bring out the canapés, please!"
I stepped out from behind the kitchen partition, carrying a silver tray of smoked salmon blinis.
The moment Arthur Sterling’s eyes locked onto mine, his entire body went rigid.
"Ivy?" Arthur breathed, his voice carrying over the chatter in the room.
I paused, offering him a warm, respectful smile. "Good evening, Arthur. Hello, Eleanor. It’s wonderful to see you both again."
Wade’s smile faltered. He looked between me and his CEO, a sudden flash of panic darting through his eyes. "Wait... Arthur, you know Ivy?"
"Know her?" Eleanor Sterling stepped forward, completely ignoring Wade, and wrapped her arms around me in a warm, gentle embrace. "Ivy designed the entire renovation of our Greenwich estate three years ago! And Arthur’s main logistics terminal in Newark! My dear, we had no idea you were married to Wade Mitchell!"
The room fell into a stunned, suffocating silence.
Roberta’s mouth hung open like a broken hinge. Chloe stopped chewing her hors d'oeuvre, staring at me in confusion.
"You... you designed the Newark terminal?" Wade stammered, his face turning an alarming shade of pale. "Ivy, you never told me that."
"You never asked, Wade," I replied softly, setting the silver tray down on the marble island. "Whenever I talked about my firm, you told me women shouldn't bore their husbands with business talk."
Arthur Sterling’s eyes narrowed into slits of ice. He looked at Wade, then at the layout of the penthouse, the pieces finally coming together in his sharp, experienced mind.
"Ivy," Arthur said, his voice dropping into a deep, commanding baritone. "The last time we spoke at the architectural gala, you mentioned you had just closed on a penthouse at Riverview Tower. Is this..."
"Yes, Arthur," I said clearly, looking directly into Wade’s terrified eyes. "This is my home. I bought it four years ago. Outright. With the proceeds from my firm."
"Wait a minute!" Roberta shrieked, stepping forward, her face flushing crimson with anger. "What kind of nonsense is this? Wade! Tell them! Tell your boss! You bought this place! You let this ungrateful girl live here!"
"Mom, shut up!" Wade hissed, sweat beginning to bead across his forehead. "Shut up right now!"
"I will not shut up!" Roberta yelled, completely losing her composure in front of the corporate elite. "This girl is a liar! She’s an invalid who can barely take care of her child! She lay in bed for ten days doing nothing until I had to throw a pitcher of ice water on her lazy face just to get her out of bed to feed us!"
A collective gasp sucked the air out of the room.
Eleanor Sterling pulled back, her hand flying to her mouth in utter horror. Arthur stared at Roberta as if she were a venomous snake that had crawled out of a sewer.
"You... what?" Arthur whispered, his voice trembling with pure, unadulterated disgust.
Before Roberta could dig the grave any deeper, the private elevator chimed with a crisp, melodic bell.
The double doors slid open.
And stepping into the penthouse foyer were two uniformed officers from the NYPD, the building’s head of security, and Maya Vance, carrying a thick black briefcase.
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"Good evening, everyone," Maya announced, her voice slicing through the frozen room like a diamond blade. "I apologize for interrupting the party. But we have some urgent legal matters to execute."
***
