Chapter 12: A $50 Million Great-Uncle

"Mr. Lawson," Arthur began, his voice stripped of its former arrogance. "Please. I understand there has been a terrible misunderstanding between you and my son. But Belmont Enterprises has spent months surveying the expansion lots for Zenith Motors. We are prepared to offer highly favorable terms—"

"The expansion is cancelled," Jude interrupted, setting his coffee cup down.

Arthur’s breath hitched. "Cancelled? Sir, please, if you just review the—"

"I have no intention of partnering with Belmont Enterprises," Jude said, his gaze shifting to Trent, who was staring at the floor. "Your son made it abundantly clear that my presence was an eyesore. I wouldn’t want to tarnish your prestigious family image with my business. Victoria, have security escort them off my property."

"Immediately," Victoria said, tapping an icon on her tablet.

Arthur tried to plead again, but the heavy boardroom doors swung open, and two burly security guards stepped inside.

Trent didn’t say a word. He looked thoroughly broken.

Without protesting, father and son were marched out of the executive suite, their future entirely destroyed.

Maya let out a long breath. She looked down at the real estate portfolios in her hands, then looked up at Jude, who was leaning back in the CEO chair.

"Jude... Mr. Lawson..." Maya started, her mind spinning with a thousand unanswered questions. "I just... I don’t understand. What is going on? Are you secretly from a wealthy family? Were you hiding this from us the entire time you worked here?"

Jude shook his head, offering a smile. "I didn’t lie to anyone, Maya. I was exactly the broke, struggling guy you thought I was. You know I couldn’t even afford to buy lunch at the cafeteria most days."

"Then how?" Maya asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "How did you buy a multi-million dollar dealership overnight?"

Victoria, standing near the window, quietly adjusted her glasses.

She was equally intrigued. Her firm had executed the takeover, but the origin of Jude’s massive liquid capital was a complete mystery even to her...

Jude knew he couldn’t tell them the truth.

Explaining that a Universal Sign-In System had magically deposited tens of millions of dollars into his bank account simply by visiting a hotel and an alleyway would get him locked in a psychiatric ward.

He needed a believable cover story.

"It’s a bizarre situation," Jude said. "To put it simply, I was recently contacted by a great-uncle I never knew existed. He is an incredibly private, overseas investor. He caught wind of my financial struggles, tracked me down, and decided to give me a little starter capital to get me on my feet."

Maya’s eyes went wide. "Starter capital?"

"He said it wasn’t much," Jude continued, waving his hand. "He told me to spend it carefully. I checked the account balance he set up for me... he gave me fifty million dollars."

Maya felt dizzy. She had to grip the back of a chair to steady herself.

Fifty million dollars? As pocket change? Just to get on his feet?!

"Good heavens," Maya breathed, her mind completely blown. "How rich is your great-uncle?"

"Very," Jude replied smoothly. "Though he values his privacy above all else."

"What is his name, if you don’t mind me asking?" Victoria chimed in.

Jude didn’t miss a beat. "Elias Sterling. But he operates through shell corporations. You won’t find him on any Forbes list."

*Elias Sterling,* Victoria repeated internally, her eyes gleaming with sudden ambition.

It all made sense now...

Victoria had found it incredibly strange that a young, former retail worker possessed the ruthless business acumen to execute a hostile takeover so flawlessly.

Jude was clearly just a frontman, a proxy for this mysterious billionaire uncle, Elias Sterling!

Victoria’s heart raced.

If her firm could uncover the true identity of Elias Sterling and secure him as a direct client, it would be the biggest acquisition in the history of Vance & Sterling.

She needed to put her best investigators on this immediately.

Jude noticed Victoria’s calculating expression and smiled inwardly. The bait had been taken perfectly.

"Victoria," Jude said. "Could you give us the room for a moment? I need to speak with my new General Manager privately."

"Of course, Mr. Lawson," Victoria said, giving a bow before exiting the boardroom.

The doors clicked shut, leaving Jude and Maya entirely alone in the executive suite.

Jude stood up from the leather chair and walked around the table.

Maya looked down at the floor, suddenly feeling incredibly small.

The reality of Jude’s new status was creating a terrifying gap between them.

"Jude, I’m so sorry," Maya whispered. "I’m sorry I couldn’t stop Sterling from firing you. I tried to argue with him in the back office, but he threatened to terminate me too."

Tears began to well in her eyes. The dealership had been a toxic place to work for years, and the constant fear of losing her livelihood had worn her down to the bone.

Jude stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Maya," Jude said. "You were the only one who showed me kindness when I was at the absolute bottom. I know how much you sacrificed just to survive in this building."

Hearing the genuine warmth in his voice, Maya could no longer hold it back.

A quiet sob escaped her lips, and she leaned forward, resting her forehead against his chest.

Jude didn’t pull away. He wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace.

Maya cried silently against his suit, the years of accumulated anxiety, the fear of Sterling’s wrath, and the sheer relief of her sudden promotion all crashing down on her at once.

"I was so scared," Maya whispered into his chest. "I thought Sterling was going to ruin all of us."

"Sterling is gone," Jude murmured, patting her back. "And as long as I own this company, no one is ever going to bully you, or threaten your job, ever again. You are under my protection now."

Maya nodded against him. She felt an overwhelming sense of safety wrapped in his arms.

After a long moment, Maya pulled back, wiping her eyes and offering a watery smile. "Thank you, Jude. I won’t let you down. I promise."

"I know you won’t," Jude smiled, walking back toward the window overlooking the showroom.

He looked down at the floor. "Now, tell me about the Belmonts. Why was Arthur sweating through his suit when I cancelled the expansion?"

Maya composed herself, stepping up to the window beside him.

"Belmont Enterprises is drowning in debt," Maya explained. "They heavily over-leveraged their assets on residential projects that failed. Securing the commercial real estate contracts for our dealership’s statewide expansion was their only way to satisfy their creditors. Without our contracts, they will default on their loans."

Jude looked out at the city skyline, a dark gleam in his eyes.

Trent Belmont had humiliated him. Chloe had abandoned him and mocked his poverty.

They had both thought they were untouchable because of the Belmont fortune. But with a single signature, Jude had just severed their corporate lifeline...