Billionaire Declares His Wife Dead To Marry An Heiress — Then Finds Her Scrubbing His Hotel Lobby

Claire looked from Julian’s outstretched hand to Marcus, who was watching her with a sharp, calculating gaze. She could see the trap closing around her. If she gave up the drive, Julian would burn the evidence, marry Victoria, and sink his teeth deeper into the Sterling fortune. Her mother might be secure for a few years, but Julian would always hold the power to destroy them on a whim.

"I need time," Claire said, her voice barely above a breath.

Julian smirked, sensing a crack in her defense. "You have until six o'clock tonight. That's when the board announces my appointment as vice-chairman of the Sterling Group. If you haven't handed over the drive and signed the paper by then, the creditors will serve an eviction notice on your mother's cottage by morning."

Julian stood up, adjusting his cuffs, and motioned for his attorneys to leave. He paused at the door, glancing back over his shoulder. "It’s good to see you looking so well, Claire. Really."

The door clicked shut.

Silence hung heavy in the room. Claire buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as the years of built-up exhaustion finally caught up with her.

"He's bluffing about the cottage," Marcus said quietly, coming around the desk.

"He's not," Claire replied, looking up with dark circles under her eyes. "Julian never bluffs when it comes to self-preservation. He set up the mortgage structure himself before he disappeared. He owns the debt through a shell corporation."

Marcus picked up the gold wedding band from his desk and tossed it lightly in his palm. "Then we don't play his game. We play a different one."

Claire looked at him, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Julian thinks he's dealing with a broken woman scrubbing floors," Marcus said, a cold smile touching his lips. "He doesn't know that I spent the last three hours buying up the distressed debt of every company he linked to his new venture. He doesn't own your mother's mortgage anymore, Claire."