All Chapters of Stripper Heiress: Revenge Marriage to the Devil Billionaire: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"Sit down or leave."The heavy oak boardroom doors slammed shut behind me, the sound echoing through the forty-fifth floor of Poseidon Group headquarters. Thirty corporate directors sat around the polished marble table, their eyes locked on me. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed."You don't have the authority to call an emergency assembly, Cecelia," Victor Vance, the senior vice president, sneered from halfway down the table. "You're a disgraced cello player who just crawled out of a scandal.""Check the stock registry, Victor," I said.I didn't smile. I didn't pull out a chair right away. I walked straight to the head of the table, past the row of executives who had spent the last five years ignoring my calls. The high-backed leather chair at the end of the room had sat empty since my mother’s bloodline was forced out of the executive board.I pulled the chair back and sat down."Her stock transfer was cleared by the SEC at eight this morning," Theophilus said, stepping into the room righ

"You forgot one folder, Cecelia."Theophilus had left the sleek leather folio on my desk right before he departed the building at midnight.I open the thick paper casing under the harsh fluorescent light of my empty office. Inside sits a yellowed manila envelope, sealed with red wax that has already been cracked open.My fingers tremble slightly as I pull out the contents.Old police precinct reports, faded private investigator surveillance logs, and a single black-and-white photograph spill out onto the marble desk. The photograph shows a silver sports car wrapped around a concrete highway divider, emergency lights flashing in the rain. Beside it is a timestamped image of Christopher’s younger brother, Julian, taken just hours before he died in that crash.I scan the investigator’s typed notes, my lungs seizing up.Subject Jessica Vance met with Elizabeth Lambert at the harbor hotel at 10:14 PM.Brake line tampering confirmed on vehicle VIN #4829.Framing narrative established: Blame

"Drink the wine, Cecelia, or Mr. Henderson will think you don't trust his testimony."Christopher whispers the command right into my ear, his broad chest brushing against my arm as he leans over the table in the private dining room."I don't need your advice on how to handle witnesses, Christopher," I whisper back, taking a slow sip from the crystal glass. "Just keep your eyes on the door."Mr. Henderson, the former chief accountant for Jessica’s shell firms, sits across from us. He slides a thumb drive across the white tablecloth, his knuckles white with nerves."That contains every wire transfer Jessica authorized to frame your mother," Henderson says, his voice shaking. "I'll testify next week, but only if Poseidon guarantees my immunity.""Poseidon guarantees it," I say immediately, pulling the drive off the table and dropping it into my clutch. "You'll have full legal protection starting tonight."Henderson stands up, nods once to both of us, and exits the room quickly. The heavy

"She's here," Theophilus whispers behind me as the massive glass doors of the grand ballroom swing open.I step into the charity gala alone. The flashbulbs go off instantly, blinding me in a frantic wave of white light. I don't hide my face. I don't look down. Every camera in the city is here to document my first public appearance as the official heiress and voting chair of Poseidon Group.Conversations die across the room. Hundreds of eyes lock onto me as I walk past the main marble fountain, my spine straight, my head held high.Across the ballroom, standing near the VIP bar, Christopher freezes. His fingers tighten around his drink, his dark gaze burning into me from fifty feet away. He looks exhausted, dangerous, and completely consumed by the sight of me. Standing next to him is what remains of his loyal circle, but he doesn't hear a word they're saying. His entire universe has narrowed down to where I'm standing."Keep walking, Cecelia," Theophilus says softly at my shoulder. "D

"You need to read this before you take another breath, Cecelia," Theophilus says, dropping a thick yellow envelope onto my hospital tray.I pull my hand out from under the heavy blanket, my fingers trembling slightly as I reach for the thick paper. The red wax seal on the flap is stamped with my mother Celestine’s private crest."Where did you get this?" I ask, my voice hoarse as I stare at the dark red wax."Your mother left it in a private safety deposit box in Zurich," Theophilus says, his face pale and unreadable. "It was programmed to be released to you only if you survived a lethal attempt on your life."My heart hammers wildly against my ribs as I slide my thumb under the seal and rip the envelope open.Inside is a single folded parchment written in my mother’s unmistakable, sharp handwriting, accompanied by a faded blue hospital birth certificate from twenty-six years ago. I unfold the paper, my eyes scanning the dark ink lines."Cecelia, if you are reading this, it means the