Victoria didn't even look up from her glass. She waved a dismissive hand. "What issue? The meal is under the Sterling Heritage Trust master corporate account. Just run the house card on file."
"I am sorry, madam," the waiter replied, opening the folder to reveal a bright red system decline printout. "Payment authorization has been removed by the primary account holder."
Victoria froze. Her smile vanished instantly. "Removed? That's impossible! I am Victoria Sterling! I hold primary signature authority on that account!"
"Not as of two minutes ago, madam," the waiter said calmly.
Act II: The Anatomy of Betrayal
Chapter 3: The Ghost Heir
To understand why Clara held the keys to the Sterling financial kingdom, one had to look back three years to the passing of Charles Sterling—Victoria's late husband and the founder of Sterling Global Energy.
When Charles passed away, his will contained a clause that shock-waved through the family's legal counsel: fifty-one percent of the master voting stock and the primary operational treasury account were not left to Victoria or Julian. They were left in a sealed trust to Clara.