Chapter 20 - The Undisputed Reign
Five years had passed since the violent,
spectacular collapse of the Sterling family,
five long,
incredibly productive years that had completely reshaped the entire landscape of the global financial market.
I stood silently on the massive,
wind-swept balcony of the new Obsidian Tower,
the tallest,
most magnificent skyscraper in the entire world,
looking down at the sprawling,
glittering metropolis that I now completely,
undisputedly owned.
The cold,
crisp evening air whipped through my long,
flowing hair,
but I did not shiver,
because the immense,
unfathomable power I possessed kept a permanent,
comforting fire burning deep within my chest.
I was no longer just the CEO of a massive holding company,
I was an absolute titan of global industry,
a legendary,
mythical figure whispered about with deep reverence and paralyzing fear in every single boardroom on the planet.
Arthur stepped out onto the balcony,
his dark suit immaculate,
his hair slightly grayer,
but his fierce,
unwavering loyalty remaining completely unchanged after all these victorious years.
"The European merger is completely finalized,
Madam,"
Arthur reported smoothly,
handing me a crystal flute filled with the rarest,
most expensive champagne in existence,
"Obsidian Holdings now officially controls fifty-one percent of the global telecommunications infrastructure."
I took the elegant glass,
the cold crystal feeling perfect against my skin,
and took a slow,
satisfying sip,
savoring the sweet,
intoxicating taste of total,
unprecedented victory.
"And what of the ghosts,
Arthur?"
I asked quietly,
my eyes scanning the endless,
glittering sea of city lights below,
referring to the miserable,
pathetic shadows of my past.
Arthur pulled a small,
encrypted digital tablet from his inner pocket,
swiping through the highly classified security files with practiced,
efficient ease.
"Evelyn Sterling remains in the maximum-security ward of the state psychiatric facility,"
he stated factually,
his voice devoid of any emotion,
"she is completely unresponsive to all modern treatments,
spending her days speaking to the blank walls,
still demanding caviar and vintage wine from the nursing staff."
I nodded slowly,
feeling absolutely no pity,
knowing that her mind had built the exact prison her cruel,
arrogant soul truly deserved.
"And Daniel?"
I inquired,
the name feeling foreign,
strange,
and completely insignificant on my tongue.
"Daniel Sterling is currently serving year five of his ten-year sentence in a state penitentiary for serial theft and vagrancy,"
Arthur replied,
closing the digital tablet with a soft,
final click.
"He works in the prison laundry room,
scrubbing the filthy uniforms of the other inmates for twelve cents an hour,
he receives no visitors,
he has no friends,
and he has been completely,
entirely forgotten by the outside world."
I turned away from the sprawling,
magnificent city,
walking back into the warm,
luxurious penthouse that sat at the very pinnacle of human achievement.
I had started this journey as a quiet,
submissive wife,
hiding my immense wealth to protect the fragile ego of a monster who rewarded my kindness with a violent,
unforgivable strike to my face.
But that single,
fatal mistake had awakened a sleeping,
ruthless empress,
a force of nature that had systematically,
mercilessly burned his entire existence to the ground,
leaving absolutely nothing but cold,
forgotten ashes in my wake.
I placed the crystal flute down on the massive mahogany desk,
sitting comfortably in my heavy,
leather throne,
looking at the massive,
glowing map of my global empire displayed on the wall.
The revenge was long over,
the parasites were permanently exterminated,
and the silence they left behind was the most beautiful,
perfect sound I had ever heard.
I was Elara,
the undisputed,
untouchable queen of a vast,
unconquerable empire,
May you like
and I would rule this world with an iron,
unforgiving fist until the very end of time.
