The Supreme Son in Law

Chapter 7

Julian yelled in anger.

"You think you scare me, beggar?" Julian shouted. "My family is rich! You are nothing!"

Julian reached out to grab Clara's coat.

Ethan moved fast.

His fingers clamped around Julian's wrist like iron. Ethan squeezed hard.

Julian screamed in pain. His knees hit the wet concrete.

The tall glass doors slid open.

Four security guards in black uniforms ran down the steps. Dominic Cross walked right behind them under a black umbrella.

Julian looked up from the ground. "Chairman Cross! Help me! This trash attacked me! Call the police!"

Dominic did not even look at Julian. He pointed two fingers at the ground.

"Clear the steps," Dominic said.

Two guards grabbed Julian and slammed him down into a puddle. The other two guards pushed Derek into the mud next to him.

Dominic looked down at Julian. His voice was cold.

"Your father is under arrest for loan fraud Mr Julian. Every bank account your family owns is frozen."

Julian stared up from the dirty water. His face was white. "What... what did you say?"

"Mercer Group is finished," Dominic said. "Please, get off our land."

Dominic turned to Clara. He bowed his head with deep respect.

"Miss Sterling, the meeting room is ready. Please come with me."

Ethan gave her a gentle nod. "Go ahead, Clara."

They walked into the Elevator.

"Mr. Cross," Clara began, her voice hesitant. "My cousin Derek spoke out of turn in the lobby. But Sterling Bio-Pharma is truly in a difficult position. If there are any misunderstandings about our operational capability—"

"There is no misunderstanding," Dominic interrupted warmly.

The elevator chimed, and the brushed-steel doors parted to reveal the penthouse executive suite.

Dominic led Clara to a circular glass conference table and pulled out a leather armchair for her personally. A junior assistant immediately served freshly brewed tea, bowing politely.

Dominic placed a thick, gold-embossed leather folder on the glass table.

"This is the master development agreement for our sixty-million-dollar medical fund," Dominic said, sliding a silver pen across the table. "Our investment committee has tracked the late Dr. Sterling's cellular regeneration patents for three years. We believe your laboratory holds the key to the next generation of biopharmaceuticals in this province."

Clara opened the folder with trembling fingers.

The terms were astonishingly generous. Sovereign Apex would provide sixty million dollars in project equity, along with an immediate, non-refundable liquidity advance of ten million dollars wired directly to Sterling Bio-Pharma's operational accounts within two hours.

Sterling Bio-Pharma would retain fifty-one percent operational control.

"This cannot be right," Clara murmured, looking up in disbelief. "Standard venture partnerships demand at least sixty percent equity and complete control over the board. You are practically handing us the project."

"We invest in talent, Miss Sterling" Dominic answered smoothly. He tapped the lower half of the second page. "However, there is one non-negotiable condition."

Clara leaned in, reading the bold black text.

Article 14, Section B: Miss Clara Sterling must remain the sole managing director, chief executive officer, and authorized signatory of Sterling Bio-Pharma throughout the entire project lifecycle. If the Sterling Family Council or any third party removes, demotes, or dilutes Miss Clara Sterling's authority, this agreement shall terminate immediately. Upon termination, Sovereign Apex Holdings shall execute an immediate liquidated damages penalty of one hundred million dollars against the Sterling clan.

Clara caught her breath. "A one hundred million dollar penalty?"

"We are partnering with you, Miss Sterling, not your extended family," Dominic said, his eyes unwavering. "If your family attempts to strip your authority on this project, that would be a breach of contract, hence the $100M penalty. Do you accept these terms?"

Clara looked at the pen, then glanced back at Ethan.

Ethan met her gaze and gave her a warm, encouraging smile. "Sign it, Clara. This is what your grandfather worked his entire life to build."

Clara picked up the pen. She wrote her name: Clara Sterling.

Dominic signed next to her.

"Ten million dollars will be transferred to your company account right now," Dominic said. "Our audit team will visit your factory in forty-eight hours. We will check the first batch of medicine. Then we release the rest of the money."

"Thank you, Chairman Cross," Clara said.

Tears of relief filled her eyes. Her grandfather's life work was safe.

Clara and Ethan walked out of the corporate tower but Julian and Derek were no where to be seen.

They then boarded a taxi to take them to the laboratory where all the medicines were to be made.

——

Inside the Sterling family villa, Uncle Felix locked the office door.

Derek sat on the leather couch. He held his bruised wrist. His eyes burned with hatred.

"Dad, Clara has full control of the project now," Derek said. "Sovereign Apex backed her. How do we take the money?"

Felix poured a glass of whiskey and took a drink. A nasty smile crossed his face.

"Sovereign Apex sends inspectors in forty-eight hours," Felix said.

"If she cannot make the medicine in two days, the deal is canceled. Sovereign Apex will cancel their partnership immediately and demand a refund."

Derek leaned forward. "And she won't be able to pay it all back"

"Exactly," Felix laughed. "If word gets out that Sovereign Apex canceled a partnership with her, then no business in the entire valley will be brave enough to work with her after that. And to make sure she fails, I just sent five hundred thousand dollars to Tycoon Lewis."

Derek's eyes went wide. "Tycoon Lewis?"

"Lewis controls all the medical glass bottles in this city," Felix sneered. "Without glass vials, Clara cannot bottle a single drop of medicine."

Felix continued, "We will force her hand. If she wants to secure the deal with Sovereign Apex then she'll have to listen to our demands"

Derek grinned. "That's f*****g genius Dad. We force her to give us a large chunk of the $60 Million in exchange for the vials. She has no choice."

——

Forty minutes later.

A taxi dropped Clara and Ethan outside the factory gates.

The loading bay was completely quiet. No trucks were moving.

Dr. Henderson, the head chemist, ran out of the building. He was sweating and out of breath.

"President Clara! We have a huge problem!"

Clara rushed up the concrete ramp. "Dr. Henderson, what is wrong?"

"We have no glass bottles," Henderson said in panic. "Lewis Logistics canceled all our deliveries twenty minutes ago. Tycoon Lewis blocked us. Every packaging company in the city is also refusing our calls."

Clara felt the ground shake under her feet. "Every single one?"

"Lewis runs the whole supply chain," Henderson said. "Without sterile glass vials, we cannot bottle the medicine. The inspectors come in forty-eight hours. If the boxes are empty, we lose everything."

Clara gripped her purse tight. Her hands were ice-cold.

Bringing bottles from another city took four days. She had no way out.

Ethan walked over to a vending machine by the wall. He put two coins inside and pulled out a warm can of black coffee.

He walked back and put the warm can into Clara's cold hands.

"Drink this," Ethan said softly. "Go inside and check the machines with Henderson. Do not worry about the glass."

Clara looked at the warm can. Then she looked into Ethan's calm eyes. The warmth in her hands helped her breathe again.

"Ethan, you don't know Tycoon Lewis," Clara whispered. "He is an underworld boss. He hurts people. I have to find a way to fix this."

"Go inside," Ethan said. "I will check the supplier list."

Clara nodded slowly. She followed Henderson into the plant.

The metal doors shut behind her.

Ethan walked around the corner of the building into the dark shadows.

He pulled out his phone and dialed.

Dominic answered on the first ring. "Master Vance."

"Tycoon Lewis just blocked my wife's glass supply," Ethan said, looking up at the gray sky. "Who owns the land under his warehouses?"

"Sovereign Apex owns the ninety-nine-year lease on the whole industrial park," Dominic said.

"How Interesting. I also want you to lookup all the dirt you can find on him and quickly get back to me."

Dominic answered smoothly, "As you wish Mr Vance."