Chapter 6 - "Grandpa... She Hit Me!"
David felt as though the floor beneath his feet had dissolved into an endless, freezing abyss. Sweat broke out along his hairline, soaking his collar.
“Sterling... she’s a Sterling...?” David muttered hysterically, his eyes wide and bloodshot as he looked at Catherine. “No... she told me she was an orphan... she wore five-dollar dresses from target...”
“David, do something!” Chloe panicked, her voice high-pitched and crackling with terror. “She’s walking toward us! Why is she looking at us like that?!”
Harrison Sterling stopped five feet from Table 1. His commanding gaze swept over the table, landing on David, Chloe, and Martha. The air surrounding the table seemed to plunge forty degrees in temperature.
David, desperate to save his collapsing reality, forced his legs to move. He took two frantic steps forward, bowing his head nervously, offering a trembling hand.
“Chairman Sterling!” David choked out, trying to force his usual charming smile. “What an... what an extraordinary honor! I am David Thorne, CEO of Thorne Group! We were so eager to present our expansion proposal to you tonight—”
Harrison Sterling didn't even look at David’s outstretched hand. He ignored him as if David were nothing more than a speck of dust on the rug.
Suddenly, five-year-old Lily let go of Catherine’s hand.
She looked across the short distance, her bright eyes locking onto Chloe’s emerald dress. The memory of the ten brutal slaps, the metallic taste of blood in her mouth, and the cold laughter of her father rushed back into the child's mind.
Lily didn't cower. Protected by the presence of her mother and the most powerful man in the city, she buried her face against Harrison Sterling’s leg, her tiny hand pointing a trembling finger directly at Chloe.
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Her small, weeping voice echoed loudly across the silent, breathless ballroom:
“Grandpa... she is the one who hit me! She slapped me ten times and knocked my teeth out while Daddy watched!”
