7
Julian Sterling hobbled back to Sterling Antiques, leaning heavily on a crutch.
11:11 AM
<
O
His right leg was encased in a thick cast, and his face was so gaunt it was almost gray, a stark contrast to his former glorious
self.
A prominent “SEALED” sign was plastered across the main entrance; Sterling Auction House was officially shut down.
The massive poster of Serena Hayes at the entrance was also defaced with red paint, the vibrant color staining her like a bleeding wound.
On site were the collectors who once treated Julian Sterling like a god, now all keeping their distance.
Some saw him hobbling into the building and wouldn’t even give him a direct glance.
“Mr. Sterling? Sorry, you know the company’s situation. We can’t help you.”
“This case is too sensitive; the police are watching. Who would dare touch Sterling Antiques‘ involved collections?”
“I suggest you get a good lawyer and plan your next steps soon.”
These people, who once spoke with flattery, now avoided him, wishing to immediately sever all ties.
Julian Sterling stood alone, trying to hail taxi after taxi, but every driver made an excuse to refuse him.
His back was thin and hunched, and the entire city seemed to be rejecting him.
Later, he went to see Grandpa Sterling.
Grandpa Sterling was now wearing a prison jumpsuit, confined in the detention center.
He sat down, his eyes distant. Before he could speak, he saw Julian Sterling slowly approaching with his crutch, a cold glint in his eyes.
“You have the nerve to visit me?”
Julian Sterling gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse:
“Father, I’m sorry, I dragged you into this.”
Grandpa Sterling slapped the water cup off the table, cursing furiously:
“You destroyed a century of the Sterling family’s legacy for a woman who should have died years ago! What in God’s name were you thinking?!”
“Serena Hayes has been recovering overseas for years; she’s already changed! You still think she’s your woman?!”
Julian Sterling lowered his head, his breathing growing more ragged.
He started to speak, then held back.
Grandpa Sterling was enraged, his face ashen. He pounded the table, his voice hoarse with curses:
“How much did Stella give? She stayed up late restoring artifacts, helping Sterling Antiques clear its name from so much scandal! You ungrateful wretches!”
Julian Sterlin
voice tremble
11:11 AM P
<
e
Julian Sterling’s voice trembled:
“Father, Stella won’t help us.”
“Of course she won’t! Why should she help you?!”
”
=
Grandpa Sterling was beside himself with fury, his chest heaving.
“Serena Hayes is
of her lies?”
es is nothing but a fraud! You were so
foolish, you dragged everyone in the Sterling family down, all because of one
い
Julian Sterling shook his head frantically, tears streaming down his face.
Grandpa Sterling’s breathing became increasingly labored, his lips turning purple. Suddenly, he collapsed.
“Father!”
Julian Sterling roared, lunging towards him.
The ambulance arrived, and medical staff wheeled him into the emergency room.
In the early hours of the morning, Grandpa Sterling, covered by a white sheet, was slowly wheeled out of the emergency room.
The news spread quickly.
Sterling Antiques‘ former allies were all struck dumb with fear, no one willing to take another risk.
Serena Hayes appeared on a popular evening news live broadcast, facing countless cameras, her dark eyes utterly devoid of emotion.
She smiled, picking up the microphone:
“Julian Sterling forced me to forge customs artifact restoration results and threatened my family. He ordered me to whitewash the implicated exhibits! I am innocent.”
Immediately, online public opinion exploded.
Julian Sterling had no standing left in the industry. His former subordinates and partners, who used to obey his every command, dared not say a word in his defense.
The comments section beneath the news flooded at lightning speed with mockery and curses:
“So Sterling Antiques‘ little tricks only extended to using women as human shields.”
“Serena Hayes is certainly not simple. Julian Sterling deserved to fall into her hands.”
“Can Stella Sterling step in again and clear the Sterling family’s old accounts?”
On the ground floor of the tower, Julian Sterling leaned on his crutch, like a discarded pawn on a chessboard.
No one offered him a word of comfort.
In the days that followed, everything spiraled downwards.
11:11 AM P
<
All funds and collections implicated in the Sterling Auction House case were confiscated, and outstanding bank loans
amounted to tens of billions.
The Sterling family’s century–old legacy was reduced to dust in an instant.
Grandpa Sterling’s funeral was as desolate as fluttering in the wind.
a
forgotten tomb, no one came to pay their respects, only a few paper offerings
Serena Hayes, meanwhile, became a top target for international police organizations.
Her complex background led to the exposure of a vast artifact smuggling ring.
Television channels continuously broadcast news clips of her from that night, along with the blacklists issued against her by
various countries.
And the former Sterling Antiques? It became a taboo word in Metropolis City’s art world.
Unspoken, yet unforgettable.
Later, Julian Sterling, dragging a crippled leg, scraped by in the shady coors of the city’s black market.
He clutched a chipped antique vase, was low–balled and insulted, and in the end, couldn’t sell it for any price.
And Serena Hayes’s fate was even worse.
International police hunted her down, and after her identity was exposed, her former handlers and the smuggling syndicate all turned on her. In her escape, she lost her protection.
Among the homeless in the city’s underbelly, rumors spread that she once ran errands for a pawn shop owner. With her last case exposed, she would likely never recover.
