Chapter 8 - ONE MILLION VIEWS BEFORE MIDNIGHT
By 11:43 PM, the original ballroom video had reached 8.7 million views.
The chapel clip had reached 11.2 million.
Sienna's statement condemning harassment had been shared by celebrities, business leaders, domestic violence advocates, and strangers who knew nothing about freight contracts but knew exactly what humiliation looked like.
Hashtags began trending.
#GiveHerParentsAChair
#SiennaMiller
#SterlingWedding
One post had more than half a million likes:
THE RICHEST PERSON IN THAT CHAPEL WAS THE MAN THEY WOULDN'T LET SIT DOWN.
Robert hated that one.
“I'm not the richest person anywhere.”
Helen looked at him.
“You own thirty thousand acres.”
“Twenty-eight.”
Arthur muttered, “That correction isn't helping.”
For the first time all day, Sienna laughed.
The board meeting had lasted three hours.
Damian was temporarily suspended as managing partner.
An external investigation had been ordered into the bridge loan.
Margot's board influence had been frozen.
Sterling's CFO had admitted he believed the Apex agreement was guaranteed because Damian repeatedly said “family approval is complete.”
The board had asked Sienna for a seven-day enforcement pause.
She gave them forty-eight hours.
Only to restructure worker protections.
Nothing more.
Damian followed her into the hallway afterward.
“Sienna.”
She stopped.
“Not tonight.”
“Please.”
Arthur moved away but remained within sight.
Damian looked destroyed.
His bow tie was gone.
His shirt collar was open.
The confident man from the altar had disappeared.
“I didn't know my mother removed the cards.”
“That doesn't matter.”
“It does to me.”
“You still hit me.”
Damian looked down.
“I know.”
“You blamed me afterward.”
“I know.”
“You told my father to learn his place.”
He closed his eyes.
“I know.”
Sienna waited.
Damian looked at her again.
“I keep replaying it.”
“Good.”
His face tightened.
“I deserve that.”
“Yes.”
He nodded slowly.
“I thought…”
“What?”
“That I had to control everything.”
Sienna said nothing.
“My father did that.”
The mention surprised her.
Damian rarely discussed his late father.
“He used to say if people saw weakness once, they would own you forever.”
“That doesn't explain what you did.”
“I know.”
“Don't use your father to turn yourself into a victim.”
“I won't.”
For once, Damian didn't argue.
Sienna turned to leave.
Then he said something that stopped her.
“The loan wasn't my idea.”
She looked back.
“Excuse me?”
Damian glanced toward the boardroom.
“My mother arranged the bridge financing.”
“Your signature is on it.”
“She told me Apex was guaranteed.”
“And you believed her?”
“I believed you were marrying me.”
Sienna stared at him.
“That is not the same as having permission to pledge my family's assets.”
“I know that now.”
“You knew it then.”
Damian didn't answer.
Exactly.
Sienna walked away.
At home that night, she slept in her childhood bedroom at her parents' city townhouse.
At 2:13 AM, her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She nearly ignored it.
Then answered.
“Hello?”
A woman whispered.
“Ms. Miller?”
“Yes?”
“My name is Natalie Reed.”
The voice trembled.
“I work in Sterling's finance department.”
Sienna sat up.
“How did you get this number?”
“That doesn't matter.”
“It matters to me.”
“I found something.”
Sienna turned on the lamp.
“What?”
“Damian is telling the truth about one thing.”
She became completely awake.
“Which thing?”
“The bridge facility wasn't his idea.”
“Then whose?”
Silence.
“Mrs. Sterling.”
“Margot?”
“Yes.”
Sienna waited.
Natalie continued.
“But that's not the problem.”
“What is?”
“The loan wasn't only sixty million.”
Sienna gripped the phone tighter.
“How much?”
“The facility was sixty.”
Natalie inhaled shakily.
“But Margot moved another thirty-eight million through three shell companies after closing.”
Sienna said nothing.
May you like
Natalie whispered the final sentence.
“And one of those companies has your name on it.”
