Chapter 975
Gemma peeked out, her eyes wide with terror. “I saw you on the news. You hurt people. You hurt Liam.”
The accusation hung in the air. It was childish, vague, and devastatingly effective.
Skye turned to Liam. He was staring at Gemma, his expression unreadable — studying the brooch, then Gemma’s face, then the brooch again.
“Liam?” Skye said.
Liam blinked, shaking his head slightly. “The brooch… it’s real, Skye. My grandmother talked about it. Only the direct line carried it.”
N𝘰𝗏el𝗌 𝗶n 𝘵𝘳𝗲𝗇d o𝗇 𝗀𝘢𝗹no𝗏𝖾𝗹𝘀.𝘤𝗈𝗆
“So you believe this?” Skye asked, a cold knot forming in her stomach. “You believe she’s my sister because she’s wearing jewelry?”
“It’s not just the jewelry,” Liam said quietly. “Look at her face, Skye. And the timeline — Arthur has been hinting at a ‘hidden asset’ for months. If he had her all along…”
Skye felt a surge of betrayal. Even Liam, who had fought beside her in the trenches, was swaying. The visual manipulation was too strong.
“She’s terrified of you,” Arthur said, seizing the moment. “And rightfully so. Given your erratic behavior lately. Perhaps it’s best if you leave, Skye. Let the family heal.”
Skye looked at the crowd. They were nodding. They had bought it — the prodigal daughter returned, the bitter and exhausted CEO trying to ruin the moment.
She pulled out her phone. She didn’t look at Liam. She dialed Alistair.
“Get me everything on her,” Skye said into the phone, her voice low. “I want to know where she was born, what she eats for breakfast, and who her surgeon is.”
“I’m already running facial recognition,” Alistair’s voice came through her earpiece. “Give me an hour.”
Arthur raised his glass. “To celebrate Gemma’s return, I am initiating the transfer of the family trust. The thirty percent holding of Sterling Corp will be placed in her name, effective immediately.”
Skye’s head snapped up. That was the endgame — the voting rights. If Arthur controlled Gemma, and Gemma controlled the trust, Skye would lose Oracle.
“Objection,” Skye said, her voice cutting across the room.
Silence fell again.
“Transfer of the trust requires a unanimous vote of the oversight committee,” Skye said, walking up the steps until she was eye-level with Arthur. “And as the executor of my father’s estate until proven otherwise, I freeze all assets.”
Arthur’s smile vanished. “You can’t do that. Your signatory powers are suspended pending the investigation into the Citadel incident.”
“I just did,” Skye said. She held up her phone, showing the confirmation screen from the bank app. “The accounts are locked, Arthur. Pending a fraud investigation. I filed it five minutes ago. The SEC takes allegations of identity theft very seriously.”
Gemma let out a sob. “Why does she hate me?” she wailed. “I don’t want the money. I just want my family!”
It was a masterstroke of manipulation. The crowd murmured angrily against Skye.
Skye looked at the crying girl. She leaned in close, so only Gemma and Arthur could hear.