After building a business empire from scratch, my doctor told me that years of overwork had rendered me unable to have children. To ensure my life’s work would have a successor, I adopted a brilliant boy from a poor background. I funded his MBA, placed him at the core of Sterling Corporation, and groomed him to take my place. Ten years later, his high school sweetheart reappeared as the CEO of a rival company, weeping that she had been forced to leave him all those years ago. Moved beyond reason, and to prove his love, he stole my company’s core secrets and presented them to her as a token of his devotion. “Mom, I owe you everything,” he told me. “But I can’t live without her. If you agree to retire now, I’ll make sure you receive a generous pension.” A pension? I picked up my office intercom, my voice like ice. “Get the legal department on the line. Prepare for litigation. Also, inform the six other candidates hidden across our subsidiaries that the final assessment has begun.” 1 I learned a long time ago not to put all my eggs in one basket. That’s why, like opening a series of blind boxes, I adopted seven gifted children from underprivileged backgrounds all at once. Leah Sterling was the youngest. He was the one I kept by my side, the one I taught personally, the one I invested the most in. I looked at him now—the timid boy I had single-handedly molded into a rising star of the business world. He stood in my office, dressed in an expensive suit I’d had tailored for him, his handsome face a mask of tragic determination. “Mom,” he began, “I’m sorry.” I sipped my coffee, saying nothing. “It’s Ava,” he said, referring to his first love, now the CEO of our main competitor. “She’s back. She told me she had her reasons for leaving me back then! She went away to protect me!” I nearly choked on my coffee. Protect him? Back then, he was so poor he had to think twice before adding an egg to his meal in the cafeteria. What was there to protect? His poverty? His youth? His perpetually unkempt hair? Leah didn’t see the sarcasm in my eyes. He was lost in his own epic love story. “She’s had it so hard, a woman all alone, fighting to get ahead. Now, it’s my turn to protect her.” “And so?” I put down my cup and met his gaze. He took a deep breath and pushed a file across my desk. “This is our company’s core strategic plan for the next three years. I’ve already given a copy to Ava. It’s my commitment to her, a necessary step for our future.” The office was dead silent. As if that weren’t enough, he added, “Mom, you gave me a new life. I’ll never forget that. But I can’t live without her. If you agree to retire now, I’ll have Ava arrange a generous pension for you. You’ll be comfortable for the rest of your life.” A pension? The taxes I paid last quarter alone were enough to buy his girlfriend’s company three times over. Seeing my silence, he must have thought I was considering it. He took a step forward, a hint of a threat in his voice. “Mom, you’re not young anymore. It’s time to enjoy life. I’m doing this for your own good. But if you insist on being stubborn and making things unpleasant for everyone… then I won’t be responsible for you in your old age.” “Hah.” A small, sharp laugh escaped my throat. I finally raised my eyes, my voice devoid of all warmth. “Leah, are you telling me that if I don’t retire, you’ll cut me off?” He stiffened his neck, his expression a perfect blend of reluctance and resolve, as if to say, You’re forcing my hand. “Yes.” “Very well.” I nodded and picked up the intercom on my desk. A flicker of triumph crossed Leah’s face. He thought I was caving, calling the finance department to negotiate the pension amount. My finger pressed a different button. “Get me Legal,” I said, my voice glacial. “Inform them that Leah Sterling is in material breach of his contract. I want the highest-level litigation protocol activated immediately. I want him served with a court summons within twenty-four hours.” The expression on Leah’s face froze solid. Before he could react, I dialed a second number—the direct line to my chief of staff. “Send a top-level encrypted email to my children. Subject: Dividing the Inheritance. Tell them that anyone who doesn’t show up will have all their black cards, trust funds… everything… frozen.” My assistant’s calm, steady voice came through the line, laced with a hint of excitement. “Understood, Ms. Sterling.” I hung up and finally turned my attention back to Leah, who was still standing there, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. I offered him a gentle smile. “No need for the pension. But you might want to worry about yourself,” I said, gesturing toward the door. “After all, prison food might not agree with you.” 2 Leah’s face was a canvas of rapidly shifting emotions—shock, disbelief, utter confusion. After a full thirty seconds, he finally seemed to process the information. Then, he laughed. “Hahaha…” He laughed so hard he bent over, tears welling in his eyes. “Mom, I admit, you almost had me. That’s a brilliant move, trying to pull the rug out from under me!” I raised an eyebrow, saying nothing, content to let him play out his little drama. He stepped forward, pointing at me with absolute certainty. “You think a couple of phone calls will scare me? Make me feel threatened enough to submit to you?” He grew more agitated as he spoke. “Everyone in this corporation knows I’m your sole heir! For ten years, you’ve poured all your resources into me! You can’t function without me! Without me, this entire business empire of yours will collapse!” “Sole heir?” I finally spoke, my voice tinged with weariness. “Leah, your information is out of date.” Just then, the office door was pushed open again, this time without even the courtesy of a knock. Ava Chen strode in, dressed in the latest Chanel suit, her makeup flawless, her chin held high. She slid her arm possessively through Leah’s, her gaze drifting over me with casual disdain. “Auntie Josephine, why must you be so difficult?” she began. “Leah is only thinking of you. You’ve worked your entire life. It’s time to relax, travel the world, enjoy yourself.” Her eyes scanned my office. “This company will be ours now—mine and Leah’s. Don’t you worry. We young people have fresh ideas. We’ll take the company to a whole new level.” Buoyed by her words, Leah’s confidence returned. He stood up straight. “Did you hear that, Josephine? Your era is over! Your archaic management style should have been thrown out years ago!” He glared at me, his voice dripping with arrogance. “I suggest you accept our offer gracefully. Otherwise, once I inherit the corporation, it won’t be so easy to come begging to me!” Ava tapped him playfully on the chest. “Now, now, Leah, is that any way to talk to your mother? She’s worked hard for this company for many years. We, the younger generation, must know how to be grateful.” I looked at the Oscar-worthy performance unfolding before me and finally lost all patience. I picked up the intercom and dialed my assistant. “Arthur,” I said, my voice perfectly calm, betraying no emotion, “please send Security up.” “Right away, Ms. Sterling,” he replied. I hung up, picked up my now-cold coffee, and didn’t even bother to look at them again. “The air purifier in my office has its limits,” I said coolly. “It can’t handle the foul air you’re spewing.” 3 In less than a minute, four burly men in black suits and sunglasses appeared at the door. “Ms. Sterling,” the head of security said with a slight bow. “Please escort these two guests out,” I said, gesturing to the petrified Leah and Ava. “And throw away everything they touched. Including the carpet.” “You wouldn’t dare!” Leah finally snapped out of his stupor, his face flushing red. “Josephine! Don’t you forget, this company’s core technology is all in my head! You do this to me today, and I’ll make the stock price plummet tomorrow!” Ava shrieked, “You can’t touch me! I’m the CEO of Chen Industries! This is unlawful detention!” The head of security acted as if he hadn’t heard a word. He simply gestured, and two of his men moved forward, grabbing one person each and lifting them as if they were a couple of unruly chickens. The entire process was swift and brutally efficient. “Josephine! You’ll regret this! You heartless old woman!” Leah screamed as he was dragged away. “You’ll end up betrayed and alone! I’ll be waiting for the day you come crawling back to me on your knees!” The office door slammed shut with a solid thud. Finally, peace and quiet. I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and rubbed my throbbing temples. I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t even particularly disappointed. I just thought he was an idiot. The private phone on my desk rang, shattering the moment of silence. It was my eldest, Arthur Sterling. He was the chief legal counsel for Vanguard Capital, the most aggressive investment subsidiary in my portfolio. “Mother,” a calm, slightly amused voice came from the other end. “I just wrapped up a hostile takeover meeting when your assistant’s email came through. Dividing the inheritance? Which underperforming subsidiary are you breaking up this time? Just a heads-up, the legal process is expensive. My team bills by the hour.” A hint of warmth crept into my tired voice. “Arthur, it’s not a subsidiary. It’s your brother, Leah. We have a problem.” There were three seconds of silence on the line. “Leah?” Arthur’s voice turned to ice. “I see. A hothouse flower was never going to survive in the wild. What do you need? Shall I initiate litigation for breach of his non-compete, or go straight for a corporate espionage investigation?” “Just come home first.” “Understood.” He hung up, decisive as always. Immediately, my personal phone began to vibrate incessantly with a cascade of notifications. Messages were pouring in from every corner of the globe, from every sector of my empire. [Angela Sterling, Aegis Security Tech]: Mom, I’ve detected an abnormal access log in the corporate firewall. The breach originated from Leah’s office terminal with high-level clearance. I’ve patched the back door and left him a little present. Do you need me to brick his computer? :) [Victoria Sterling, Starlight Media]: MOM!!! WHAT IS GOING ON?! Dividing the inheritance?! Your assistant said you were upset. Is some executive at HQ trying to stage a coup? Give me a name. I’ll have my PR team dig up all their dirt and make them a trending topic by morning! [Julian Sterling, Apex Securities]: Mother, there’s unusual capital movement in the European market related to our key tech stocks. It seems the information Leah leaked is already having an effect. Do you want me to short them into oblivion? … A smile spread across my face as I read through the messages. Raising children really is like portfolio management. When one stock crashes, you have others that are soaring, maybe even creating a bull market of their own. I picked up my phone and sent a group message. “Everyone, home. Family meeting. Last one here gets to clean up Leah’s mess.”
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