Chapter 7 - Shadows at the Door
Winter descended upon New York with a vengeance, burying Central Park in a blanket of pristine white snow.
Inside the penthouse, however, it was warm and festive. The girls had spent the entire morning helping the decorators trim a twelve-foot Christmas tree in the grand salon, hanging handmade paper ornaments alongside priceless crystal baubles.
Nathan was in his home office wrapping up a conference call with the London branch when his private security chief, Marcus Vance (no relation to Evelyn), knocked quietly on the open door and stepped inside.
"Mr. Sterling," Marcus said in a low voice, holding a secure tablet. "We have a situation at the lobby security desk."
Nathan muted his headset. "What kind of situation?"
"Your mother. Eleanor Sterling has checked out of her Palm Beach estate and is currently downstairs in the private elevator lobby. She’s demanding entry."
Nathan’s face hardened instantly. "I gave strict orders. She is barred from all Sterling properties."
"I know, sir," Marcus replied cautiously. "She didn't come alone. She brought a team of probate attorneys and a court-ordered petition for grandparental visitation rights, backed by an emergency injunction."
Nathan stood up so fast his leather chair rolled back and hit the mahogany bookshelf. "She wants to sue me for visitation? For the children she tried to erase before they were even born?"
"She’s desperate, Mr. Sterling. Her social standing in Palm Beach is in ruins, her friends have cut her off, and the federal prosecutors are circling her assets based on the financial trails we handed over from Evelyn’s files. She has nothing left to lose."
Nathan walked around his desk, his jaw set like stone. "Tell security to keep her in the lobby. Do not let her up here. I'm coming down."
"Wait," a voice said from the doorway.
Nathan turned. Grace stood in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, her expression completely calm, radiating an unshakable, terrifying confidence.
"Let her up," Grace said.
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Nathan stared at her in disbelief. "Grace, you haven't seen my mother when she goes on the attack. She will tear into you, she will try to manipulate the girls—"
"Let her come up," Grace repeated, walking into the office and placing her hand on Nathan’s arm. "You spent your whole life running from her control, Nathan. And I spent five years hiding from her shadow. It’s time we finish this—not in a courtroom with lawyers, but right here, under our roof."
