Chapter 5 - The Fall of the House of Sterling
Six months later.
The ocean breeze blew gently through the open windows of the secure beachfront property in Malibu. I sat on the porch, sipping a cup of actual, healthy herbal tea, listening to the sweetest sound in the world: the soft, rhythmic cooing of a healthy baby boy.
Olivia walked out onto the deck, looking radiant. She had gained all her weight back, her cheeks were flushed with color, and her eyes were bright and full of life. She cradled my newborn nephew, Leo, against her chest.
"He just fell asleep," she whispered, sitting beside me and resting her head on my shoulder.
"He's perfect," I smiled, wrapping an arm around her.
Our midnight escape had been just the beginning of the war, but we had won. The morning after we vanished, Marcus leaked the toxicology reports, Victoria’s handwritten ledger, and the audio recording I had secretly taken of Preston in the hospital directly to the FBI and every major news outlet in the country.
The public fallout was apocalyptic. You can buy a local judge, but you cannot buy the FBI when a national spotlight is blinding you. The feds raided the Sterling penthouse. They found decades of evidence, including exhumation orders for Preston's father's first wife that proved Victoria had poisoned her, too.
Preston’s company stock plummeted to zero within forty-eight hours. His board ousted him. Today, both he and Victoria were sitting in federal holding cells, denied bail, awaiting trial for conspiracy to commit murder. The Sterling empire was dust.
"Dad called," Olivia said, rocking Leo gently. "The divorce was finalized this morning. Preston lost all parental rights. Leo is officially a Miller."
I looked out at the rolling waves, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face. The nightmare was over. The generational curse was broken. Victoria wanted an heir to control, but instead, she gave us a beautiful baby boy who would be raised with something the Sterlings never understood: unconditional love.
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"We did it, Liv," I whispered.
She smiled, holding her son tight. "No. You did it. You saved us."
