“That’ll teach you not to make me look like an idiot in front of my family!” Richard Vance yelled, his voice booming across the lawn.

At 2:15 p.m., the atmosphere inside the headquarters of Vance Logistics in Queens was high-energy and chaotic.

Richard Vance sat behind his executive desk, swirling a glass of scotch, his feet propped up on the mahogany surface. Standing beside him was Vanessa, applying lip gloss while admiring her reflection in the glass wall of the office.

"I'm telling you, babe," Richard bragged, taking a sip of his drink. "The Sterling Equity loan is going to clear by Friday. Two million in capital. We're moving to a bigger office in Manhattan next month."

"What about Maya?" Vanessa asked casually. "She still hasn't called you back?"

"She'll crawl back by tomorrow night," Richard sneered, laughing. "She's broke. Her little diner job barely pays for daycare. Once she realizes she can't afford rent on her friend's apartment, she'll be back on her knees apologizing to my mother."

Before Vanessa could answer, the front glass doors of the office suite shattered inward with a loud, metallic clatter.

Three security officers dressed in black tactical uniforms stepped into the reception area, followed immediately by Thomas Vance and two corporate attorneys carrying leather briefcases.

Richard dropped his feet off the desk, his face flushing red with anger. He stood up and stormed out into the hallway. "Hey! What the hell is this?! You can't just barge into my private offices!"

Thomas stepped forward, pulling a gold-sealed legal document from his folder. "Richard Vance?"

"Yeah, I'm Richard Vance! Who the hell are you?"

"I am the senior representative of Sterling Global Equity," Thomas announced loudly, his voice echoing across the open-plan office where twelve employees were staring in shock. "I am here to serve you with an immediate notice of lease termination, asset freeze, and commercial eviction."

Richard let out a nervous, incredulous laugh. "Eviction?! Are you crazy? My loan application is currently under review by your firm! I spoke with your acquisitions department last week!"

"Your loan application was formally rejected yesterday at five p.m. due to severe character liabilities," Thomas stated coldly. "Furthermore, the primary owner of Sterling Equity has authorized an immediate foreclosure on all equipment leases attached to this facility."

"Primary owner?!" Richard yelled, his voice cracking. "Who the hell is the primary owner?! I want to speak to Julian Sterling!"

"Mr. Sterling is right behind us," Thomas replied smoothly, stepping aside.

The glass doors opened again.

Julian Sterling walked into the suite, dressed in an immaculate charcoal suit. But he didn't walk in alone.

Walking beside him, dressed in a tailored cream-colored silk suit, her dark hair swept back in an elegant style, wearing subtle gold earrings and polished leather heels, was Maya.

She held her head high, her expression calm, cold, and entirely unbothered.

Richard froze. His jaw dropped so low his scotch glass nearly slipped from his fingers. Vanessa shrank back against the wall, her eyes wide with total disbelief.

"Maya...?" Richard stammered, his face turning pale. "What... what are you wearing? What is this circus?"

Maya stopped three feet from him, her hands folded gracefully in front of her suit jacket. She looked at Richard, then at Vanessa, with an expression of pure, unadulterated indifference.

"Hello, Richard," Maya said, her voice clear and level. "I told you I'd see you soon."

"What are you doing with Mr. Sterling?!" Richard demanded, pointing a trembling finger at her. "Julian, sir, I don't know what this woman told you, but she’s my estranged wife! She’s mentally unstable! She threw a fit at our daughter's birthday yesterday and ran away!"

Julian stepped forward, his tall frame looming over Richard. "Mr. Vance, I suggest you lower your finger before my security detail breaks it."

Richard quickly pulled his hand back, sweating profusely.

"Miss Lin is not just speaking to me, Richard," Julian continued, his voice echoing across the silent office floor. "She is the majority owner of Sterling Global Equity. She owns this building, she owns your trucks, and as of five minutes ago, she owns the debt on your company's bank accounts."

Richard stared at Maya, his eyes wildly searching her face for any sign of a joke. "No... no, that's impossible. She's a waitress! Her mother was a nobody!"

Maya stepped closer to him, pulling a single sheet of paper from Thomas's folder and setting it on his desk.

"You have two hours to clear your personal items from my building, Richard," Maya said softly. "At four p.m., the locks will be changed, the trucks will be repossessed, and my legal team will begin auditing your tax filings for the past four years."