Chapter 451
“`
– For each row, replace every instance of “Chapter 451” with “Chapter N” (where N is that row’s chapter number). Do not alter any other text, HTML attributes, or formatting.
Chapter 451:
Jocelyn flipped it open. Her eyes moved swiftly down the pages until they locked onto a specific paragraph beneath the section on Isabelle’s personal life.
Current Relationship Status: Rumored to have close ties with Kieran Douglas of Douglas Tech. The two families have been in frequent contact recently, and there are strong whispers in the private wealth sector of an impending strategic marriage.
Jocelyn let out a sharp, dark laugh.
The mystery was solved. This was not a Wall Street shark protecting her fund. This was a deeply insecure, jealous woman wielding corporate power to punish her fiancé’s ex-girlfriend.
Jocelyn sat down slowly. The anger drained away, replaced by a cold, calculating calm.
ո𝗲𝗐 с𝘩𝗮𝗉𝗍𝘦𝗿ѕ 𝗲𝘷е𝗿𝘆 𝗐𝗲𝖾𝘬 o𝘯
She turned to the corporate structure of Sterling Capital. Isabelle was a partner, but she was not the apex predator. The true power — the majority shareholder and Managing Director — was her older brother, Victor Sterling.
Jocelyn tapped her intercom.
“Sarah,” she said, her voice completely devoid of emotion, “find out exactly where Victor Sterling is playing golf tomorrow morning. I am going to bypass the attack dog and speak directly to the owner p>
The air inside the ultra-exclusive, VIP-only nail salon on the Upper East Side smelled of lavender and expensive champagne.
Isabelle Sterling reclined in a plush, heated massage chair, draped in a silk robe while a technician carefully applied a caviar-extract mask to her hands. She took a leisurely sip of her mimosa, a smug, victorious smile fixed across her face.
Sitting in the massage chair directly beside her was Dr. Chloe Monroe.
“You should have seen her face, Chloe,” Isabelle bragged, her voice loud enough for the technicians to overhear. “She walked in acting like she owned Wall Street. I completely humiliated her. I slapped a poison pill on the table that will either bankrupt her or force her to sell her company for scraps p>
Chloe took a delicate sip of her sparkling water, only half-listening, mildly bored by Isabelle’s corporate war stories. “Who is this tragic victim?” she asked lazily.
“Some startup hotel CEO,” Isabelle sneered, rolling her eyes. “Jocelyn Wolfe. She’s the pathetic ex-girlfriend my fiancé used to sleep with p>
The glass of sparkling water slipped from Chloe’s fingers.
It shattered on the marble floor, splashing ice-cold water across Chloe’s bare ankles. She didn’t even notice the mess. Her pupils dilated as her mind violently connected the name to the woman she had investigated just days ago.
“Isabelle, you idiot,” Chloe hissed, dropping her voice low. “That ‘startup CEO’ is Gaston Collins’s legal wife p>
Isabelle’s smug smile vanished instantly. The color drained completely from her face, leaving her chalk-white.
She knew exactly who Gaston Collins was. He was a financial leviathan — the kind of man who could wipe out Sterling Capital’s entire liquidity pool before lunch without breaking a sweat. A cold sweat crept down Isabelle’s spine.
“No,” Isabelle stammered, her heart hammering. “That can’t be right. Kieran said she was a nobody p>