Julian Sterling had been standing in the hallway, listening.
He walked into the room. He was wearing a borrowed sweater of William’s that was slightly too broad in the shoulders. He looked at the monitors, understanding the carnage instantly.
“He’s trying to bleed you out,” Julian said.
William looked up. “He’s succeeding.”
Julian took a deep breath. He thought of the cold office where his father had disowned him. He thought of Maya sleeping safely in the guest room. He thought of the night in the storm when he helped deliver Leo.
“I have a trust,” Julian said quietly.
William frowned. “Arthur froze your accounts.”
“He froze the Sterling accounts,” Julian corrected. “But my mother… before she died, she set up a separate trust. The ‘Black Sheep’ fund, she called it. She knew what Arthur was like. She wanted me to have an exit strategy.”
Julian pulled a small, worn bank book from his pocket. “It unlocks when I turn thirty, or in the event of ‘extreme duress.’ Being homeless counts.”
He slid the book across the table to William.
“There’s sixty million in there,” Julian said. “Take it.”
William stared at the book. “Julian, this is your freedom. If you give me this, you truly have nothing left of your old life.”
“I have my integrity,” Julian said, meeting William’s eyes. “And I have my family. You’re my family now, William. Use it. Save the company.”
William stood up. He reached out and shook Julian’s hand, pulling him into a brotherly embrace. It was the moment the “Black Sheep” finally found his flock.
“We’ll buy the shares,” William said, his voice thick with emotion. “And we’ll make Arthur regret the day he messed with us.”