Chapter 228

ARIA'S POV

The next morning, I walked into the corporate headquarters feeling a brand-new sense of confidence.

The massive victory from the press conference was still fresh in everyone's minds, and the absolute strength I felt from Brandon’s love made me feel like I could handle any business challenge that came my way.

I carried my leather briefcase into my private office, completely ready to dive into the quarterly reports. But the moment I opened my office door, I knew something was horribly wrong.

Chloe was standing right by my desk. Her face was completely pale, and her hands were trembling violently as she clutched a thick stack of financial documents. She looked up at me with wide, panicked eyes.

"Miss Aria," Chloe gasped, her voice cracking under the stress. "We have a massive emergency. A total disaster."

I set my bag down quickly on the sofa, my heart skipping a beat. "Chloe, calm down. Take a breath. What happened? Is it another leak from the servers?"

"No, it is worse," Chloe said, sliding the papers across the smooth desk toward me. "Thomas Sterling... he just pulled out completely. His legal team sent an official notice ten minutes ago. He has withdrawn all his shares, his capital investments, and his financial backing from our upcoming global expansion project."

I grabbed the papers, my eyes scanning the legal text as a cold sweat broke out across the back of my neck. Thomas Sterling was one of our biggest majority shareholders.

His investments made up a massive percentage of our working capital. "He can't just do this," I said in a whisper, my mind racing as I looked at the massive financial deficit printed in bright red numbers.

"This leaves a multi-million dollar hole in our project. If the public finds out a major shareholder pulled out right after the smear campaign, it will cause total panic on the stock market. Why did he do this out of nowhere?"

"The notice doesn't give a reason, Miss Aria," Chloe cried, twisting her hands together in distress. "It just says he is exercising his right to liquidate his assets immediately. What are we going to do? Should we call Mr. Brandon? He could easily cover the deficit with one phone call—"

"No," I cut her off firmly, slamming the legal documents down onto the desk. "No, Chloe. Do not call Brandon."

"But Miss Aria—"

"I said no, Chloe," I repeated, my voice hardening. Brandon had already done so much for me. He had protected me from Julian, he had protected my daughter from Helen, and he was already handling so much of our personal life.

This was my father's company. This was my fight. If I just ran to my billionaire boyfriend every single time a shareholder threw a tantrum, the board of directors would never respect me as an independent leader.

I needed to handle this like a real CEO.

Just as I picked up my desk phone to dial Thomas Sterling's private secretary, my personal cell phone began to vibrate in my coat pocket. I pulled it out and saw Brandon's name flashing on the screen.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and pressed answer. "Hey, beautiful," Brandon's deep, soothing voice flowed through the receiver, instantly acting like a balm to my frayed nerves. "I just wanted to call and check on you. How are you holding up at the office today?"

I let out a long, heavy sigh, realizing I couldn't keep this from him even if I wanted to. Brandon would find out.

"Brandon... we have a major problem. Thomas Sterling just pulled all of his funding out of the global expansion project without warning. It leaves a massive financial hole, and the timing couldn't be worse."

I heard the line go completely quiet for a second, the temperature of Brandon's tone shifting instantly into sharp, protective focus. "Sterling? He’s playing games. Aria, don't panic. I can have my financial team transfer the funds to cover the deficit before the market opens tomorrow."

"No, Brandon, please listen to me," I pleaded gently but firmly. "I need to handle this myself. If I don't stand on my own two feet, the board will never see me as a real leader. His secretary said he is having a private lunch at the Royal Jade Restaurant in thirty minutes, and he gave me a fifteen-minute window to meet him. I am going there to look him in the eye and find out what went wrong."

There was a heavy pause on the other end. Brandon clearly didn't like the idea of me going alone, but he respected my drive. "Alright," he said smoothly.

"If you want to handle the meeting, I won't stop you. But I am not letting you go completely unprotected. I am actually heading to Amelia's school right now to pick her up early. The moment I drop her safely back at the house with Sarah, I am coming straight to the restaurant to meet you. Do not let him push you into a corner before I get there."

"Thank you, Brandon. I'll see you there," I said, a soft wave of relief washing over me. After hanging up, I quickly finalized the call with Sterling's secretary to confirm the appointment. I turned back to Chloe, my jaw set.

"Set up a secure digital file with our latest audited numbers. I am going to meet Thomas Sterling for lunch. I will find out exactly what went wrong, show him our real growth potential, and convince him to put his money back into the company. I refuse to let my father's empire crumble over one greedy man."

I grabbed my wool coat and my files, heading straight out the door. I was completely determined to prove to the world, and to myself, that I was fit to rule this empire on my own.

But as I stepped into the elevator, a strange, uneasy feeling settled deep in the pit of my stomach. I hoped whatever happened that made him pull out could be talked about.