Chapter 9: Checkmate
“You stupid, arrogant girl!” Marcus roared, lunging at her.
Sophie sidestepped his clumsy attack, using his momentum to send him crashing into a glass coffee table. The table shattered, sending shards of glass across the plush Persian rug. She didn't hesitate. She grabbed his fallen satellite phone, the line still open to the maximum-security prison.
“Hello, Father,” Sophie said, her voice ringing with an icy authority that mirrored his own.
Static crackled on the other end, followed by the heavy, ragged breathing of Arthur Sterling. “Sophie. You always were too smart for your own good. But you’re too late. The money is mine.”
“No, it isn't,” she replied, staring down at the groaning Marcus. “Julian Croft just bypassed your firewalls. Not only did we stop the trade, but Julian traced the offshore accounts you tried to hide. He’s draining them right now. Every single cent is being anonymously wired to the SEC whistleblower fund and domestic abuse charities across the country.”
Silence hung heavy on the line. For the first time in her life, Sophie heard her father panic. “You can’t do this. I will ruin you! I will hunt you to the ends of the earth!”
“You won't do anything,” Sophie said coldly. “I also sent the audio of Marcus confirming your illegal phone and bribery scheme to the Department of Justice, the FBI, and every major news outlet in the country. The warden you bribed is already in handcuffs. You’re being transferred to ADX Florence, Father. Solitary confinement. Twenty-three hours a day in a concrete box. No phones. No lawyers. No escape.”
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Before he could scream his rage, Sophie crushed the satellite phone under the heel of her designer stiletto. She looked down at Marcus, who was bleeding and staring at her in sheer terror.
“Tell the remaining board members that the Sterling era is permanently over,” Sophie commanded, turning her back on the wreckage and walking out of the suite without a single look back.
