Chapter 215
Juliana
Standing at the floor-to-ceiling windows of my corner office, I watched Manhattan sprawl beneath me like a kingdom I'd conquered. Seventy-two floors up, everyone below looked like ants—exactly how I preferred to view the world.
I took a sip of my espresso, savoring the bitter bite. After decades of struggle, the Sterling Financial Group was finally back where it belonged—with me. It didn't matter what the letterhead said; this was my company. My creation. My fucking empire.
"I built this company from nothing," I whispered to my reflection in the glass, a savage smile playing on my lips. "And now it's mine again."
My pulse quickened with a familiar rush of power. This was better than sex, better than love—this was control. And God knows, I'd sacrificed enough to get here. Three decades of playing the perfect corporate wife while building my own power base, piece by strategic piece.
My assistant had left the morning papers on my desk—financial news mostly, with Sterling Tech stock continuing its climb despite James's arrest. The headlines still screamed about it: TECH BILLIONAIRE JAMES STERLING ARRESTED ON ESPIONAGE CHARGES . It seemed impossible.
I picked up my phone, scrolling through my messages. Mateo's sisters had been calling, concerned about their Sterling Tech shares. Vultures circling already. I'd have to make them an offer soon—at a significant discount, of course. With their stakes and mine combined, I'd have enough controlling interest to wrest the company back fully.
Before Blake ruins everything.
My stomach clenched with a familiar mixture of rage and disappointment. My son. My biggest disappointment. I'd given him everything—every goddamn advantage—the best schools, the right connections, a path laid out in gold—and he'd thrown it all away for that woman.
I moved to my desk, picking up the framed photo I kept there—Blake at his Harvard graduation.
"You stupid, ungrateful idiot," I murmured, touching his face through the glass. My chest tightened with an emotion I refused to acknowledge as hurt. "You gave up everything I built for you."
For a moment, I allowed myself to feel the full weight of my disappointment. The son I'd raised to be ruthless and ambitious was now playing house with some nobody from Boston. The empire I'd helped build was slipping through my fingers because my son couldn't keep his dick in his pants long enough to think with his brain instead of his balls.
My intercom buzzed, interrupting my thoughts.
"Mrs. Sterling, your two o'clock canceled. You have the afternoon free."
Perfect. I'd been putting this off long enough.
"Cancel everything else today," I instructed. "And have my car brought around."
It was time to see James. My heart skipped a beat at the thought—damn him for still having that effect on me after all these years.
---
The federal detention center was a cold, sterile place—all fluorescent lights and echoing corridors. My Louboutins clicked loudly against the polished floors as I followed a guard, drawing glances from everyone we passed. I'd dressed carefully—a charcoal Armani suit, pearls, hair immaculate. James always did like me put together.
Let him see what he's missing, I thought savagely. Let him see what he threw away.
I'd pulled strings to get this meeting. Being one of the wealthiest women in America still opened doors, even in federal custody. Money and power—the only two things that ever truly mattered in this world.
"Ten minutes," the guard said as he led me to a private consultation room—another favor called in.
When James walked in, I almost didn't recognize him. Gone was the impeccable suit, replaced by an orange jumpsuit that hung loosely on his frame. His silver hair was disheveled, and he had several days' worth of stubble on his face. But his eyes—those intense eyes—were the same. They still looked right through me, still saw too much.
"Juliana," he said, his voice betraying no surprise. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
The guard closed the door, leaving us alone.
"James." I kept my voice level, refusing to show how seeing him like this affected me. Inside, my emotions were a hurricane—rage, pity, love, hatred, all swirling together until I could barely breathe. "You look like shit."
A smile ghosted across his lips. "Prison will do that." He sat down across from me, folding his hands on the table. "Why are you here?"
I studied him for a moment, cataloging every change, every new line on his face. Goddamn him for still being handsome, even now.
"A spy, James? Really? After all these years, that's what you've been hiding?" My laugh was sharp, brittle. "And here I thought it was just other women."
"It's more complicated than that."
"It always is with you." I couldn't keep the bitterness from my voice. My hands clenched involuntarily. "Always another layer, another secret. You never stopped playing your little power games, did you? You arrogant bastard."
"This coming from you?" He raised an eyebrow. "The queen of manipulation?"
I ignored the jab, though it stung like hell. "I heard you gave Blake control of your company."
"It's his birthright."
"I want to know why," I said, surprised by how steady my voice remained despite the chaos inside me. "Why give everything to Blake now? You know he can't handle it. Not with that woman controlling him. She's going to destroy him, James. Destroy everything we built."
"This really doesn't concern you anymore."
"Doesn't concern me?" My voice rose dangerously. " He's going to run it into the fucking ground because he's too busy thinking with his dick!"
James's expression hardened. "I gave it to my son because he's the only one I trust not to destroy what I've built."
The words sliced through me like a knife. After everything I'd done, everything I'd endured. My vision blurred with tears of rage.
"I loved you," I said softly, hating the vulnerability in my voice. "I've always loved you, James. Even when I hated you. Even when I wished you were dead."
Something flickered in his eyes—regret, perhaps. "I know."
"I married your brother because of you," I continued, the old pain rising fresh in my throat. "Noah was never the one I wanted. And I paid for that mistake every single day. Every fucking day of that miserable marriage."
"I never asked you to marry him."
"You left!" The words exploded from me, decades of resentment behind them. "You disappeared without a word, and I was pregnant and alone, and Noah was there, and I—" I stopped, horrified to find tears threatening. I hadn't cried in front of anyone in years. "You left to punish me."
My chest felt like it was being crushed. All these years later, and the abandonment still felt raw.
For the first time, James looked genuinely remorseful. "I'm sorry, Juliana. Truly. I should have—" He sighed. "I should have done many things differently."
I composed myself, straightening my shoulders, rebuilding my walls brick by brick. "Blake is going to leave everything behind. For her. " I spat the words like they tasted bad.
"Or you will," James said knowingly.
"Someone has to protect what we built." I met his gaze defiantly. "Someone has to clean up the mess you two idiots are making."
James studied me for a long moment. "He'll come back. When he's ready."
"And if he doesn't?"
"Then maybe it's time to let him choose his own path."
I laughed bitterly. "How noble of you. Thirty-five years too late. Where was this fatherly wisdom when he needed you? When I needed you?"
The guard knocked, signaling our time was nearly up.
I stood, smoothing my suit, forcing my hands not to tremble. "You know, it's fucking ironic. We both love him. We both want what's best for him. And we've both lost him."
James remained seated, looking older than I'd ever seen him. "Time has a way of bringing things full circle, Juliana."
I leaned down, placing a hand on his. The contact sent electricity through me, damn him. "Goodbye, James. Enjoy your cell."