Chapter 80 The Hidden Card
Briar's POV
My phone vibrated on my desk at exactly 2:17 PM, the screen lighting up with Julian's name. I stared at it for a moment before I finally answered.
"The distributors in the Northwest and Pacific Coast regions have been pulled," Julian said without preamble, his voice cold and flat. "What are you planning to do about it?"
I forced myself to keep my breathing steady, to not let him hear the panic that was already clawing at my chest. "I'm handling the crisis now. I'll have a solution by—"
"Come to Sterling Pharmaceuticals," he interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "Now."
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell him I needed more time, but the words died in my throat. There was no point in arguing with Julian when he used that voice, the one that made it clear he was giving an order, not making a request.
"I'll be there," I said quietly, and hung up before he could say anything else.
Selene snarled in the back of my mind, her fury rising like a wave, and I had to close my eyes and take a slow breath to push her back down. The Alpha command in Julian's voice was like a physical weight pressing down on my chest, making it hard to think clearly, and I hated how much power he still had over me.
But I didn't have time to dwell on it. I grabbed my bag and stood up, my mind already racing through the logistics. Sterling Pharmaceuticals was a fifteen-minute drive from here, but Emerald Forest Real Estate was on the way. If I was fast, if I didn't waste a single second, I could stop there first and still make it to Julian's office on time.
I walked out of my office and headed straight for the elevator, pulling out my phone to check the time. 2:19 PM. I had maybe ten minutes to spare if I played this right.
The driver was waiting for me in the parking garage, and I slid into the back seat and gave him the address without hesitation. "Emerald Forest Real Estate. Take the fastest route."
He nodded and pulled out of the garage, and I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes, trying to calculate how much time I had. Ten minutes at Emerald Forest, maybe less if Reginald's secretary was already waiting for me. That would still leave me enough time to get to Sterling Pharmaceuticals without being late.
The car wove through the downtown traffic, the afternoon sunlight glinting off the glass facades of the skyscrapers around us. Emerald Forest Real Estate was a sleek, silver building covered in vertical gardens, the greenery stark against the steel and concrete. One block away, I could see the dark silhouette of Sterling Pharmaceuticals, its black exterior gleaming like polished obsidian.
I stared at the top floor of Sterling's building, at the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, and felt my palms start to sweat. He was up there right now, waiting for me, and if I was even a minute late, he would know.
The car pulled up in front of Emerald Forest at 2:40 PM, and I was out the door before it had fully stopped. The receptionist recognized me immediately and directed me to a private elevator that took me straight to the twelfth floor.
Reginald's secretary was already waiting for me, a sealed envelope in her hands. The wax seal bore the Verdant crest, and I took it from her with trembling fingers.
"Mr. Smith is in a meeting," the secretary said, her voice calm and professional. "But he instructed me to give this to you before 2:45."
I broke the seal and pulled out the documents inside. The first was a letter of intent from VitaChain Pharmacies, outlining a nationwide distribution partnership. The second was a bank guarantee from Emerald Forest Real Estate, offering a three-million-dollar credit line.
My eyes locked on the number, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Three million dollars. Even without Julian, even without his connections or his leverage, I had the resources to win the Apex bid. I had the funding and the distribution network, and Julian had no idea.
I blinked hard, trying to keep the tears from spilling over, and looked up at the secretary. "Thank you. Please tell Mr. Smith I'm grateful."
She nodded and stepped back, and I tucked the documents into the bottom of my bag, making sure they were hidden beneath the other papers. I checked my phone. 2:49 PM. I had made it with time to spare.
The drive to Sterling Pharmaceuticals felt longer than it should have, even though it only took three minutes. I stared out the window, watching the city blur past, and felt the memories rising up like a tide I couldn't hold back.
I had been to this building so many times over the past year, had walked through those doors and ridden that elevator up to Julian's office, where he had humiliated me and controlled me and forced me to accept terms that had nearly destroyed everything I had left.
But today was different. Today, I had something he didn't know about, something he couldn't control. The documents in my bag were my weapon, and I wasn't going to let him see them until I was ready.
I stepped out of the car at 2:58 PM and walked through the lobby, my heels clicking against the marble floor. The scent of cedar and disinfectant was overwhelming, the same smell that always clung to this place, and I felt my stomach twist with a familiar dread.
James was waiting for me by the elevator, his expression neutral as he nodded in greeting. "Mr. Sterling is expecting you, Miss Vance."
I followed him down the long hallway to Julian's office, the double doors at the end already open. Julian was sitting in his chair by the floor-to-ceiling windows, his silhouette backlit by the afternoon sun, and I couldn't see his face.
James knocked on the doorframe. "Alpha Julian, she's here."
Julian didn't turn around. His fingers drummed lightly against the armrest of his chair, a slow, deliberate rhythm that made my skin crawl. "Let her in."
I took a deep breath and walked forward, my hands clenched tightly around the strap of my bag.
Julian turned his chair slowly, his ice-blue eyes locking onto mine, and pushed a gold-embossed document across the desk. The header read: SC International Premium Retail – Exclusive Distribution Agreement.
SC International was one of the most exclusive pharmacy chains in the world, with over two hundred locations in every major city across North America. Getting a contract with them was nearly impossible, and the fact that Julian had one sitting on his desk meant he had pulled strings I couldn't even begin to imagine.
He leaned forward, his fingers tapping the edge of the contract. "Do you like it?" His voice was low and smooth, but there was something predatory in the way he looked at me, like he was watching to see how I would react.
My chest tightened, and I felt Selene stir uneasily in the back of my mind. Every gift comes with a price.
Julian leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg over the other, his posture relaxed but his gaze sharp. "The Pacific Coast and Northwest distributors are gone, but I have something better for you. After the Apex bid is over, this contract is yours. As long as you do what I say."
I swallowed hard and forced myself to meet his eyes. "What do you need me to do?"
His lips curved into a cold smile. "It's simple. At tomorrow's Apex bid, you're going to lose to the Montgomery family."
He stood and walked over to the window, his back to me, and I felt my hands start to shake. "With Vance's current situation, you don't have much of a chance anyway. So instead of wasting your energy on a fight you can't win, take what I'm offering you."
He turned and walked toward me, his hand reaching out to catch a strand of my hair between his fingers. "This is my reward for you."
I stood frozen, my body rigid, and Selene roared in the back of my mind, her fury burning like wildfire. Julian had no idea that I had the resources to win, no idea that I had already prepared a strategy that didn't rely on him at all.
I looked up at him, forcing myself to keep my voice steady. "What if I could win? What if I could actually pull this off?"
The air in the room went still, and Julian's expression shifted, surprise flickering across his face before it was replaced by something colder. He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Does it matter if you can or not?"
He stepped closer, his Alpha pheromones flooding the space between us, and I felt the pressure of his dominance pressing down on my chest like a physical weight. "I give you what I want to give you, and you take it. Don't make me question your obedience."
The contract in my hands felt like a chain, heavy and suffocating, and I realized with a sickening clarity that this wasn't an opportunity. It was another leash.
Julian's hand shot out and gripped the back of my neck, his fingers tightening as he forced me to bend slightly forward. The Alpha command in his touch was overwhelming, suffocating, and I felt my knees start to buckle under the pressure.
"Listen to me," he said, his voice low and dangerous, and I hated how much power those words had over me.
But something inside me snapped. I wasn't the same woman I had been a year ago, the one who had no choice but to endure his control. I had options now, resources he didn't know about, and I wasn't going to let him break me.
I reached up and wrapped my fingers around his wrist, using the leverage I had learned from years of business negotiations to gently but firmly remove his hand from my neck. The movement was smooth and controlled, and I straightened up, meeting his gaze with a calm, composed smile.
"Alright," I said softly, and took the SC contract from his hand, tucking it carefully into my bag.
Julian stared at me, his eyes searching my face for any sign of genuine submission, but I didn't give him anything. I leaned in close, my lips brushing against his ear, and lowered my voice to a whisper.
"I'll be good, Julian. Just like you want."