Chapter 7 - The Downfall of Sterling Energy
Three days later, the economic reality of Ethan Sterling's precarious business empire came crashing down with the force of an avalanche.
Back in Denver, sitting in the sleek, glass-walled boardroom of Vance Global Technologies, I watched as financial reports rolled across the Bloomberg terminal on the wall. Sterling Energy's stock had plunged by over thirty percent following Vance Global's official public statement terminating all acquisition talks, citing "unresolvable compliance discrepancies and divergent corporate ethics."
In plain English, Julian had exposed the fact that Ethan's company was operating on bloated valuations and skirting environmental regulations across three states. Federal investigators had already opened a preliminary inquiry, and institutional investors were pulling their funds in a mad panic.
The heavy glass doors of the boardroom swung open, and Julian walked in, rolling up his shirt sleeves, followed by his chief legal counsel. He tossed a thick manila folder onto the conference table in front of me.
"It's over," Julian said, sinking into the leather chair beside mine. "Ethan’s primary lenders have called in his corporate loans. Unless a white knight steps in with fifty million dollars in cash by the end of the week, Sterling Energy is filing for Chapter Eleven bankruptcy protection."
"And Madison?" I asked quietly, flipping open the folder to look at the asset seizure notices.
"She’s trapped," Julian replied, shaking his head. "Ethan’s personal assets are being frozen as part of the federal inquiry. Their newly purchased penthouse in downtown Dallas has already been slapped with a lien. The high-society fairy tale lasted less than a week."
As if the universe itself was orchestrating a grand theatrical finale, my phone buzzed on the table. It wasn't my mother this time. It was Madison.
I stared at the screen, watching her name flash repeatedly. Without a word, I looked at Julian, then pressed accept and switched on the speakerphone.
"Hannah!" Madison’s voice shrieked through the room, sounding nothing like the serene, untouchable bride from a few days ago. She sounded hysterical, desperate, and entirely unglued. "You have to help us! Please! Ethan is losing everything! The accounts are frozen, reporters are camped outside our hotel, and nobody is answering our calls!"
I kept my voice calm, steady, and utterly devoid of pity. "Why are you calling me, Madison? Surely one of your high-society friends can help you."
"They won't even pick up their phones!" she sobbed openly now, the sound grating and pathetic. "Mom said... Mom said you know the CEO of Vance Global. She said you have influence there! Please, Hannah, talk to him! Beg him to save Ethan's company! If this goes bankrupt, we'll lose everything, even our car!"
Across the table, Julian crossed his arms, leaning back and listening with a cold, detached amusement in his eyes.
"Madison," I said softly, letting every word sink in like lead. "Do you remember what you said to me at the wedding when your dress got a single drop of champagne on it? Do you remember standing there with Mother and Father, telling me that I was a failure and that my daughter was a bastard who didn't belong?"
A suffocating silence met my words on the other end of the line.
May you like
"I didn't ruin your wedding, Madison," I continued, my voice hardening. "You and your family built a house of cards on cruelty, arrogance, and greed. And now, the wind is blowing. Goodbye, Madison."
I tapped the screen, ending the call for the second and final time in my life. I slid the phone across the table, turning my attention back to Julian and the sprawling city skyline visible through the glass.
