Chapter 17 - The Counter-Ambush
The following morning, the grand boardroom of Mercer-Vale Enterprises hummed with suffocating tension.
Julian Vance strode in with an arrogant swagger, wearing a brilliant red silk tie and a provocative half-smile. He pulled out the chair directly opposite my presidential seat—the exact seat Dominic had once occupied while deluded by his own power.
"Good morning, cousin... or rather, Madam Chair," Julian drawled mockingly the moment I sat down. "I understand the corporation is experiencing minor liquidity hurdles regarding our international expansion projects. As a fifteen-percent stakeholder, I propose we suspend these mergers immediately to preserve corporate capital."
Absolute silence descended upon the room. Board members exchanged uneasy glances; none of them had ever faced a corporate raider as vicious as Julian.
I remained completely unruffled. I folded my hands on the table, fixing him with the calmest, most composed gaze imaginable.
"You propose a suspension, Julian?" I asked, my quiet voice carrying clearly across the expansive room. "Or are you simply desperate to liquidate corporate assets to cover the forty-million-dollar gambling debt you dropped at Macau casinos last week?"
Julian's face drained of color instantly. His arrogant smirk froze stiff. "What... what nonsense are you spewing? Don't slander me!"
"Slander?" I gestured for Marcus to activate the large multi-media screen at the end of the room.
Instantly, a detailed bank statement alongside high-definition security camera stills from Macau's premier VIP casino flashed onto the display, capturing the exact timestamp Julian signed his promissory notes, pledging the very shares he had just accumulated in my company as collateral.
"You leveraged Sterling Fund assets to cover personal liabilities, then attempted to force the board into a firesale of corporate equity to bail yourself out," I stood up, walking slowly toward him. The pressure radiating from a woman of absolute power kept Julian rooted to his seat, struggling to breathe. "Julian, you overlooked one crucial detail. Before stepping foot in this room today, I quietly acquired your debt from your creditors. As of this moment... I am your primary creditor."
May you like
![92 The Girl They Called Broke Was a Billionaire’s Daughter—But Her Father’s Arrival Exposed a Secret Powerful People Had Buried for Years]](https://cdn.treeiq.biz/site_590/2026/11/clone-0-0915d882-53d7-4d17-b43a-a010ca1a1068.webp)
Julian scrambled up, knocking his leather chair backward with a loud crash. "You... you set a trap for me!"
"Not a trap, Julian. Pure business," I smiled frostily. "Security, escort Mr. Vance out. And inform the economic crimes division that the asset freeze and injunction on Mr. Julian Vance's fraudulent investments are officially in effect."
