Now You Want Me? Too Late

Elias’s eyes were bloodshot. A violent pressure built behind his ribs, as though his chest could barely contain the fury trapped within it.

Twenty years ago, the company had suffered a temporary liquidity crisis. Cedric had recommended an investment group willing to provide emergency financing.

"When the company suffered a crisis, you recommended this investment group to take a loan." He tapped his finger on the financing agreement. "My father trusted your recommendation. The interest rate was reasonable. But buried in the contract was a clause granting the lender additional voting rights if certain conditions weren’t met."

For the first time, Cedric’s composure faltered. Sweat started beading across his brow. He was visibly nervous. But he was stubborn enough to accept anything.

"That’s a standard protection for investors," he reasoned.

"Not when the lender is secretly connected to the person trying to acquire the company." Elias watched him carefully. "The investment group’s largest private shareholder was one of your holding companies. My father didn’t know that."

Cedric’s fingers curled slightly.

"He trusted you." Elias’s voice became colder. "But you betrayed him. You were preparing a way to increase your control if my father couldn’t recover financially."

Cedric scoffed. "You can’t prove that was my intention."

"I don’t need to prove what you were thinking. I only need to prove what you prepared."

Cedric’s eyes fell on the page. It was a proposal to restructure the company’s voting rights. His signature was at the bottom.

His heart suddenly sank.

"You proposed a restructuring. That would have weakened his voting power. And when my father rejected the proposal, you began negotiating with another shareholder to purchase his shares if the company entered another financial crisis."

For several seconds, neither man spoke.

"It proves you were preparing to become the largest shareholder," Elias said again. "You were waiting for the right opportunity to take control of everything he built."

Cedric’s expression hardened. "You were digging through old records, and this is what you’ve found? A series of legal investments and business proposals?"

He gave a cold laugh. "You still have no proof I intended to steal the company."

Elias met his eyes. "My father believed you were family. He believed you’d protect the company if he ever needed you."

That wiped the smile from Cedric’s face.

"And all that time, you were preparing to take everything he had built. Yet, you failed in the end. My father unexpectedly sold a major asset, recovered the company’s finances, and prevented you from gaining control."

His anger rose higher and higher, threatening to breach the thin wall of control he had built around it.

"And instead of letting go of your ambition, you found another way. You went to Victor, joined hands with him, and planned to destroy the Rowans."

His shoulders stiffened, every muscle in his body pulled taut. "And together, you began plotting against the Rowan family."

His fists slowly clenched.

"You wanted what my father had." The rage in his eyes deepened. "And when you couldn’t take it from him through business, you plotted to kill him with Victor."

"Enough," Cedric thundered. "You are accusing me baselessly."

"I am not the helpless child anymore," Elias said. "I spent years wondering why my family was destroyed. But now I know there were people standing close to us, smiling at us, pretending to care about us while secretly waiting for us to fall."

A volcano seemed to be erupting inside him. His jaw flexed once. Twice. He took a slow breath, swallowing the fury threatening to explode from him.

"I’ll make every person who conspired against my family pay." His eyes locked onto Cedric’s. "And I’ll start with you. I’ll finish you."

"Are you threatening me?"

"No." Elias’s expression was unreadable. "I’m warning you. "For twenty years, you believed these records were buried. You thought whatever happened back then would remain hidden forever."

His gaze was cold enough to send a chill through Cedric’s spine.

"But you forgot one thing. The truth has a way of coming back."

Cedric’s blood seemed to turn to ice. Slowly, impossibly, the implications of Elias’s words sank into his heart. The shock on his face gave way to disbelief, then dread, and finally sheer horror. But he still refused to accept his involvement.

Cedric opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

"You know what I think?" Elias leaned forward. "I think you started with ambition. You genuinely believed you could fool my father and take over the company. But when my father refused to give you the power you wanted, ambition became resentment. And resentment became betrayal."

Cedric’s face grew increasingly pale.

"You didn’t wake up one morning and decide to destroy my father." Elias’s voice dropped. "You spent years convincing yourself that you deserved his company. You thought my father should stay below you."

He paused. "So you tried to fool him. But he outsmarted you. He ruined your plan. You got mad. You joined hands with Victor and conspired to kill him."

Cedric refused to admit anything.

"You lost your mind," he shouted. "Your childhood trauma has made you suspicious of everyone around you. Yes, I met Victor. But that doesn’t mean I conspired with him. I went there for a business meeting. It was a coincidence that Victor was there."

Cedric straightened his suit jacket, desperately trying to recover his composure.

"My meeting with him proves nothing." He squared his shoulders. "For the sake of our decades of partnership, I’ll pretend you never said any of this."

His lips tightened.

"I hope we can continue doing business as usual."

With that, he turned and stormed toward the door.

The moment he stepped outside and the door closed behind him, his confidence crumbled. Fear clouded his eyes.

If Elias had managed to uncover records from twenty years ago, then there was no telling how much else he had discovered.

Cedric’s heart began pounding. His hands trembled slightly at his sides.

’Elias has gone insane. He’ll come after the Sterling Group.’ The thought sent a chill through him. ’I have to do something before he makes his move. Or I’ll be finished.’

Cedric hurried away.

Inside, Elias remained alone. For several seconds, he stood completely still. But beneath that stillness, a storm raged.

His hands slowly curled into fists.

"Continue doing business with you?" A cold, merciless smile spread across his face. "In your dreams."

Cedric had spent his entire life building and protecting his company.

And now—Elias was going to take it away from him. Piece by piece.

"I’ll wipe the Sterling name out of this city."