Chapter 5

SEVEN YEARS LATER

SEBASTIAN'S POV

I adjusted my Rolex as my driver navigated through downtown traffic, and I couldn't help the satisfied smile that spread across my face.

Life was absolutely perfect.

Seven years ago, I'd closed that tech acquisition deal that made me a billionaire overnight. But that was nothing compared to what I'd built since then. Lancaster Global Industries—the company I'd inherited from my father after his death three years ago—was now worth over fifteen billion dollars and climbing.

Fifteen billion.

The number still felt surreal sometimes, even to me.

I glanced at my phone and saw the news notification that had been trending all morning: "Sebastian Lancaster Does It Again: LGI Signs Major Shareholder Deal with Anonymous Investor."

Anonymous Investor.

That part annoyed me slightly because I liked knowing exactly who I was doing business with, but my legal team had assured me everything was legitimate. This mysterious shareholder had purchased a thirty percent stake in LGI for an amount that made even my accountants dizzy.

Thirty percent was significant, but I still maintained majority control at fifty percent, so I remained in complete control of my empire.

"We're almost there, Mr. Lancaster," my driver announced from the front seat.

"Good," I replied, straightening my tie. "I can't wait to meet this new shareholder."

I rarely came into the office anymore because I was wealthy enough to work from wherever I wanted. My penthouse had a home office that was better equipped than most corporate buildings, and I preferred working in my pajamas while watching my daughter play.

Maya.

My beautiful six-year-old daughter with Isabella's blonde hair and my dark eyes.

She was the light of my entire life, and I loved her more than I'd ever thought possible. Isabella had given me the one thing that mattered most—a daughter.

Divorcing Vanessa seven years ago had been the best decision I'd ever made. She'd been bad luck from the start—a poor waitress with no family connections, no money, and worst of all, she was barren. I'd wasted three years of my life trying to make that marriage work, pretending it didn't matter that she couldn't give me children.

But it had mattered.

Of course it had mattered.

A man in my position needed heirs, needed a wife who could stand beside him at galas and charity events without looking as though she'd rather be anywhere else. Vanessa had been too simple, too boring, and too ordinary for the life I was building.

Isabella was different.

She was sophisticated, beautiful, and she'd given me Maya. She understood the world I lived in because she'd grown up in it. Her family had money and connections that had also helped expand my business in ways Vanessa never could have.

I wondered briefly what had happened to her after I'd made her sign those divorce papers in the hospital. I'd heard she'd disappeared completely—no social media presence, no trace of her anywhere.

Good.

That meant she'd honored the NDA and stayed out of my life just as I'd demanded.

The car pulled up in front of Lancaster Global Industries headquarters—a stunning fifty-story tower of glass and steel with my name on it. Lancaster Global Industries in bold letters across the top.

My legacy.

I stepped out of the car, and I could immediately feel the shift in energy.

"He's here!" someone shouted from inside the lobby.

"Mr. Sebastian is coming!" another voice echoed.

I walked through the glass doors, and the lobby erupted into organized chaos. Employees who'd been casually chatting scattered like cockroaches when the lights came on.

"Good morning, Mr. Sebastian!" the receptionist called out nervously.

I didn't reply.

I could see people rushing to their desks, straightening papers, pretending they'd been working hard all along. Some of them looked genuinely terrified, which was exactly how I liked it.

"Sir, your coffee is ready in the boardroom," my assistant said, appearing out of nowhere with her tablet. "The new shareholder should be arriving within the next ten minutes."

"Good," I said, heading toward the private elevator. "Make sure everything is perfect. I want this meeting to go smoothly. Do you know who the shareholder is yet?"

"Not yet, sir."

The elevator doors closed, and I watched the numbers climb as I ascended to the top floor where the executive boardroom was located. This entire floor belonged to me—my office, my conference rooms, my domain.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open.

I stepped out into the quiet hallway and walked straight to the boardroom. It was massive—floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the city, a table that could seat thirty people, and my chair at the head of it all.

I sat down and checked my watch.

Five minutes until the meeting.

My phone buzzed with a text from Isabella: "Good luck today, baby. Maya says hi. She drew you another picture. Love you."

I smiled and typed back quickly before setting my phone down.

The door opened, and my assistant poked her head in. "Mr. Lancaster, the new shareholder has arrived. Should I send him in?"

"Yes," I answered, standing up and buttoning my suit jacket. "Let's get this over with."

She nodded and disappeared, leaving the door open.

I could hear footsteps approaching—confident, measured steps that echoed in the hallway.

Then the door swung open fully, and a man walked in.

My blood turned to ice when I saw him.

No, this couldn't be happening.

"Hello, brother," Nicholas said with a smirk, his voice cold and dripping with satisfaction. "Did you miss me?"

I couldn't speak.

I couldn't even move.

Nicholas was my estranged half-brother.

He was the man I'd spent over ten years trying to erase from existence.

I couldn't believe Nicholas Lancaster was standing in my boardroom, wearing a smile that promised revenge, and that was when I realized with horrible clarity exactly what had just happened.

My brother was the anonymous shareholder with whom I'd signed a deal, and he now owned thirty percent of my company.

My heart skipped a beat as I realized I'd just given him exactly what he needed to destroy me.

He was back for revenge.