Chapter 12 - The Ghost of the ThamesLeaving Eleanor and Julian under the heavy, round-the-clock protection of their private security team at Oakridge Manor, Harrison flew to London on his private jet, accompanied by Aldridge and a team of international corporate investigators.
The rain in London fell in a thick, relentless drizzle, coating the grey stone facades of the Mayfair financial district in a slick sheen.
At 10:00 AM on Thursday, Harrison walked into the prestigious law offices of Kingsley, Vance & Sterling on Old Broad Street. The name on the brass plaque outside the mahogany doors made Harrison’s jaw tighten—Vance.
Inside the opulent, wood-paneled conference room overlooking the Thames sat an elderly woman draped in dark tailored silk, her hands covered in diamond rings. Beside her stood a polished, middle-aged legal solicitor holding a thick leather portfolio.
Harrison stopped at the edge of the long conference table, his eyes narrowing into cold slits.
"You're Victoria's aunt," Harrison stated flatly. "Julianna Vance."
The old woman offered a tight, razor-thin smile, taking a delicate sip of tea from a porcelain cup. "Good morning, Harrison. It has been a long time since your father introduced us at the Henley Royal Regatta."
"Arthur never mentioned you," Harrison replied coldly, pulling out a chair and sitting opposite her while Aldridge took a seat at his side. "And he certainly never mentioned giving a Panama shell company three percent of our global dividend pool."
Julianna set her tea cup down with a soft clink. "Arthur didn't give it to me, Harrison. My brother—Victoria's father—was Arthur's silent partner when Sterling Logistics expanded into the European ports fifty years ago. Your father embezzled his equity when my brother died, driving my family into comparative obscurity while your empire flourished."
"So Victoria's little crusade six years ago wasn't just her own greed," Harrison said, the pieces of the historical puzzle clicking into place. "It was an orchestrated family feud. You used Victoria to infiltrate my house, manipulate my brother, and eliminate my wife."
"Victoria was crude," Julianna dismissed coldly, waving a gloved hand in the air. "She lacked finesse. She thought kidnapping a child and faking a car crash would yield instant results. She got caught because she was sloppy."
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Julianna leaned forward, her dark eyes glittering with ancient, cold ambition.
"But the Panama contract is ironclad, Harrison. Signed by Arthur Sterling himself under Delaware corporate law. I don't care about Victoria's criminal trials; she is a sacrifice I am willing to accept. But that ten percent of Sterling Logistics equity sitting in your son's trust? It belongs to my side of the bloodline. And if you attempt to contest it in High Court, I will leak thirty years of your father's illegal port bribery records to the international maritime authority, freezing your shipping licenses across three continents."
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