Chapter 53 - The Arrogant Ultimatum
Sebastian let out a dry, theatrical chuckle, sliding his manicured hands into his trousers pockets. He walked toward the edge of the conference table as if he already owned the deed to the building.
"Fierce," Sebastian mocked, shaking his head with amusement. "Drew Halston warned me you had a sharp tongue before he was shipped off to state prison. He called you an obstinate, spreadsheet-obsessed nuisance. I can see why he couldn't handle you. But Drew was an idiot who played with toy trains. I run a fifty-billion-dollar fund. You’re playing in the deep ocean now, Mrs. Bennett, and you don't even have a life vest."
Owen moved before Sebastian could finish his sentence.
In two powerful strides, Owen stood directly in front of his half-brother, his broader, athletic frame completely eclipsing Sebastian's posture. Owen didn't shout; he didn't raise a hand. But the quiet, deadly gravity that radiated from him made Sebastian's three New York attorneys take an instinctive half-step back.
"Speak to my wife with respect in this building, Sebastian," Owen whispered, his voice vibrating with lethal intensity. "Or I will have security throw you out of that window onto Broad Street."
Sebastian’s smile tightened, a momentary flicker of hesitation flashing in his hazel eyes before his arrogance snapped back into place. "Still emotional, Owen. Father always said your sentimental weakness would ruin this firm. You married an ex-wife of a disgraced criminal and built public parks for longshoremen while the global maritime economy expanded three-fold."
Sebastian snapped his fingers, and his lead counsel laid a thick black leather portfolio on the mahogany table.
"Here is my one and only offer," Sebastian declared, his voice ringing with cold certainty. "Vanguard will purchase Bennett-Sterling's maritime division for four hundred million dollars. In exchange, Maren will resign from the state port oversight commission, dissolve the Thomas Ellis Trust, and transfer the South Battery property to our real estate syndicate. If you accept by five o'clock today, we keep the family name intact. If you refuse, I will execute a margin call on the state bonds at eight tomorrow morning. Charleston Harbor will freeze. The local banks will fail. And the press will report that Owen Bennett’s reckless marriage destroyed South Carolina’s maritime economy."
The room was suffocatingly quiet.
Arthur Crowley gripped his silver cane, trembling with outrage. "You insolent bastard! You think you can blackmail the entire state of South Carolina?"
"Not blackmail, Arthur," Sebastian sneered, glancing at the older man dismissively. "Just capitalism. The Crowleys are yesterday's news. Your shipping lines are over-leveraged, and your influence ended when you retired."
I walked around the table, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Owen. I reached out, picked up Sebastian’s four-hundred-million-dollar purchase agreement, and looked at the front page.
"Four hundred million," I murmured softly.
Sebastian smiled, believing the number had dazzled me. "A very generous exit for a girl whose father died fixing tugboats, don't you think?"
I looked up, meeting his eyes with unwavering clarity. Then, with smooth, effortless precision, I carried the document over to the corner of the boardroom and dropped it directly into the heavy-duty commercial shredder. The machine roared to life, devouring the contract and spitting out thousands of useless white ribbons.
Sebastian's face darkened into an ugly, venomous grimace. "You insolent little—"
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"Five o'clock is too late, Sebastian," I said calmly, returning to Owen’s side. "Get out of our office. You have less than twenty-four hours to prepare your defense against federal wire fraud and maritime conspiracy. Marcus, escort Mr. Sterling to the street."
Sebastian pointed a shaking, furious finger at us. "You will regret this! Tomorrow morning, you will watch your empire burn to the ground!"
