Chapter 9 - THE SIN OF THE FATHERJulian spent the night reading.
By sunrise, he had discovered something horrifying.
His father had not personally kidnapped Clara.
But he had known about the operation.
And he had paid someone to keep Daniel silent.
Julian felt sick.
For years, he had believed his father was ruthless but honorable.
Now he wondered whether every dollar in the Sterling empire carried a piece of someone else's suffering.
Clara found him at dawn.
"You haven't slept."
Julian looked at her.
"There is something you need to know."
He told her everything.
Clara listened without interrupting.
When he finished, she asked:
"Did you know?"
"No."
She looked away.
For a moment, Julian feared she hated him.
Instead, she whispered:
"Then don't become him."
Julian looked at her.
"What?"
"Your father made choices. You don't have to."
Those words changed something inside him.
Julian closed the ledger.
"I'm going to expose everything."
Clara stared at him.
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"Even if it destroys Sterling Holdings?"
"Even if it destroys me."
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