Chapter 113
Julie's POV
The storm hit Starport like a freight train. I'd been jolted awake by thunder that seemed to shake my entire apartment building. Rain lashed against my windows as I stumbled to check the balcony doors, making sure they were properly latched.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The urgent rapping on my front door made my heart skip. I peered through the peephole but saw only empty hallway.
"Julie?" The voice was muffled but familiar. Male. Exhausted and slurred with what sounded like alcohol. "It's Andrew."
My blood turned to ice. "What the hell are you doing here? Are you here to get revenge on me?"
"I'm not..." His voice was thick, interrupted by what sounded like retching. "I'm not here to hurt you. Just... just let me rest for a minute."
I pressed my back against the door, my mind racing. Andrew, drunk and desperate, at my apartment in the middle of a thunderstorm. This couldn't be good.
"Please," he continued, and I could hear him sliding down against the door. "I just need somewhere to sit. Somewhere quiet."
Through the peephole, I could see him slumped against my doorframe, head in his hands. His expensive suit was wrinkled and rain-soaked.
"You're reaping what you sowed," I said through the door, my voice shaking with old anger. "You humiliated me. Made me think we'd... and then you used me against Grace."
"I know." His voice was barely a whisper. "I know I was a bastard. But look at this." I heard fabric rustling. "Look at my arm. The scar left because of you. Don't you remember?"
I did remember. That night when I finally fought back against my father, but when my father was about to hurt me. It was he who subdued my father.
"So what?" I called back. "Do I owe you something?"
"I'm saying..." He paused, and I heard him being sick again. "I'm saying maybe we're even. Maybe I just need one night where someone doesn't see me as a tool."
Despite everything, something in his voice made me hesitate. He sounded... broken.
"If you promise not to threaten me anymore," I said slowly. "If you promise to leave Grace alone, and to never bother me again after tonight..."
"I promise," he said immediately.
I didn't open the door. But I didn't call the police either.
The hallway went quiet except for the storm raging outside. After a few minutes, I cracked the door open.
Andrew was unconscious on the floor, his body twisted at an uncomfortable angle. His face was flushed red, his expensive clothes disheveled and stained. The scar on his arm was still visible, a thin white line against his skin.
Damn it.
I couldn't leave him there. If someone found him, there'd be questions. Gossip. And despite everything he'd done to me, I wasn't heartless enough to let him die of alcohol poisoning in my hallway.
I grabbed his shoulders and dragged him inside, his dead weight making me grunt with effort. I cleaned up the mess he'd made, then grabbed a wet towel and wiped his face clean.
"You can sleep it off on the floor," I muttered, tossing a thin blanket over him. "In the morning, we're even. You hear me? Even."
As I stood up to head back to my bedroom, his wallet fell from his jacket pocket. Credit cards and cash scattered across my floor, but it was the photograph that made me freeze.
The girl in the picture had been my college roommate. My best friend. The one who'd jumped off a building last year after her boyfriend broke her heart.
My pupils contracted in shock, and I covered my mouth to keep from screaming.
---
Grace's POV
10:00 AM - Harrison Group Headquarters
I arrived at the Harrison Group building with my legal team in tow. The documents confirming my 50% stake were already filed and verified. I'd reserved the top-floor conference room and contacted financial media outlets about a major announcement.
Richard had responded to my meeting request with surprising enthusiasm, even suggesting lunch afterward. He'd mentioned preparing my favorite coffee blend and booking a table at that expensive restaurant downtown.
He thinks this is a reconciliation.
The thought almost made me laugh. Richard still believed he could charm his way back into my good graces, that this was all some elaborate tantrum that would blow over once he showed enough attention.
He had no idea what was coming.
I stepped out of the elevator wearing a perfectly tailored emerald business suit, my hair pulled into a sleek chignon. Two attorneys and a notary followed behind me like an entourage.
Richard was already in the conference room, looking hopeful and nervous. His father Holden sat beside him. When I entered, Richard's expression shifted from anticipation to confusion.
"Grace?" He stood, extending his hand toward me. "Grace... I can see you're not here to 'talk' with me."
I walked past him without acknowledgment, past Holden's icy stare, and stopped at the head of the conference table. I didn't sit down.
"Ladies and gentlemen," my lead attorney announced, "Grace Wilson now holds fifty percent of Harrison Group shares, making her the largest single shareholder of this company."
The room erupted in whispers. Board members murmured among themselves.
Richard's face darkened. "Grace, stop this. This isn't how we handle family business. You should have discussed this with my father first."
Holden's complexion had turned ashen. He stared at me with undisguised fury.
I met his gaze with cool detachment. "Family business? How interesting that you mention family, Mr. Harrison."
Richard stepped toward me, but my attorney blocked his path.
"Effective immediately," I continued, "I am removing Richard Harrison from his position as President of Harrison Group."
"You can't—" Richard started.
"Due to significant business judgment failures and personal conduct issues that pose a potential threat to company reputation," I stated calmly. "I am also limiting Holden Harrison's decision-making authority within the company."
Holden slammed his hand on the table. "This is absurd! Grace, have you lost your mind?"
I turned to face him directly. "When you used me as a shield between your son and his real wife, when you exploited my professional skills to prop up your company without giving me proper compensation or recognition, was that not absurd? When you resorted to underhanded tactics for profit, was that acceptable behavior?"
My voice remained steady, but each word was precisely aimed. "From today forward, Harrison Group ceases to exist."