He Locked Me In A Closet, So I Destroyed His Empire Chapter 06

He Locked Me In A Closet, So I Destroyed His Empire Chapter 06

Just as I was preparing to sign my discharge papers, the heavy wooden door to the suite swung open.

My grandmother stood as the door.

She wore her signature sharp silver bob and a flawless charcoal suit.

Her razor-sharp gaze swept across the room, lingering on my face for a fraction of a second before locking

onto Ethan.

“Ethan, wait for me out in the hallway.”

Ethan gave a polite nod and pulled the door shut behind him.

The expansive private suite was left entirely to the two of us.

She walked over with slow, deliberate steps and sat down at the edge of the mattress.

Reaching out, she gently took my hand, her eyes tracing the thick layers of sterile gauze wrapped around my

palm.

The formidable matriarch, who hadn’t shed a tear in decades of corporate warfare, felt her eyes sting.

“Does it still hurt?”

I wrapped my arms tightly around her neck, burying my face into her shoulder.

“Not anymore, Grandma.”

She patted my back softly, remaining silent for a long moment.

“You nearly frightened me to death, child,” she murmured, her voice thick. “Thank God the Lockwood boy had his wits about him and got there first.”

“If anything had happened to you, I don’t know how I would have ever faced your parents in the next life. I’m too old to lose another child.”

I surged forward and squeezed her tighter, my own tears finally spilling over.

“I’m sorry, Grandma. I was foolish. I shouldn’t have made you worry.”

She gently pulled away, wiping a tear from my cheek.

“I hear Ethan was incredibly useful over the last twenty-four hours. Tell me honestly, what do you think of him?”

I knew it. The only reason she had sent Ethan out of the room was to immediately spearhead her match-making agenda.

I lowered my head, staring af the sheets.

“Grandma, romance is the absolute last thing on my mind right now. Can’t I just stay by your side and focus

on the family business for a while?”

She let out a soft laugh, pulling me back in for a brief hug.

“Of course you can. I won’t force you into anything. Once we wrap up the legal proceedings here, you’re coming back with me to the West Coast.”

I sniffled, giving her a firm nod of agreement.

“Now that Chloe is behind bars and the Garrison boy has been stripped of his executive power, our capital extraction is nearly complete,” she noted, her eyes narrowing slightly.

She looked at me intently.

“You handled the initial corporate strike well, but your heart is still far too soft.”

I raised my head in genuine confusion. “Soft? How is this soft?”

She gave me a pointed look, reaching into her designer bag and tossing a thick legal dossier onto my lap.

“You’re… you’re launching a hostile takeover against the Garrison Group?”

She stood up, smoothing out the lines of her blazer before sliding the files back into her bag.

“The Garrisons dared to treat a daughter of the Sterling family like garbage; they need to learn exactly what that costs. Change into your clothes, Summer. We’re paying a personal visit to the Garrison estate.”

My grandmother had always been a force of nature.

The moment I was dressed, we rode in a private sedan straight to the Garrison mansion.

The main living room was cavernous.

The central wall still featured the framed historical charter from when the Garrison patriarch first

established their energy empire.

All three members of the immediate Garrison family were present.

The old patriarch sat firmly in the center armchair, while Weston’s parents occupied the adjacent sofa.

Weston was standing frozen by the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The moment I entered, he took a frantic step forward, but stopped himself when he caught my icy glare.

My grandmother walked right into the center of the room, tossing the acquisition framework directly onto the mahogany coffee table.

“Arthur, I’ve adjusted the buyout terms for your energy division. Consider it a discount for the trauma your Lamily caused mine. The acquisition price has been slashed by an additional thirty percent from the original valuation, and I am personally purchasing fifteen percent of your private equity shares.”

Mrs. Garrison was the first to snap.

“Mrs. Sterling, this is nothing short of highway robbery!”

My grandmother didn’t even grant her a sideways glance, keeping her eyes locked entirely on the old

patriarch.

“My granddaughter was subjected to an absolute nightmare on your property. Frankly, I think these terms

are incredibly generous.”

Arthur Garrison stared back at my grandmother, attempting to project an intimidating aura of old-money

power.

“Eleanor, let’s not get carried away here. What is the meaning of this?”

My grandmother remained completely unfazed, her tone conversational.

“You don’t have a choice, Arthur. If my granddaughter hadn’t already poured millions into your bleeding infrastructure branch, I wouldn’t even waste my time looking at your pathetic shares.”

Mrs. Garrison desperately chimed in again.

“We have already removed Weston from the board! We didn’t lift a finger to interfere with Chloe’s criminal prosecution! We are more than willing to fully compensate Miss Sterling for her medical bills-”

“I believe that settles it,” my grandmother interrupted smoothly, rising to her feet. “Unless the Garrison family wishes to file for corporate bankruptcy by Monday morning, I suggest you sign.”

Mrs. Garrison opened her mouth to argue further, but Arthur slammed his cane against the floor, silencing

her instantly.

“Fine. We will proceed under your terms.”

My grandmother turned to me with a satisfied smile.

“Let’s go, Summer.”

As we walked out through the grand double doors of the estate, my grandmother didn’t slow her pace for a

single second.

Her spine was perfectly straight, a few silver strands of hair drifting elegantly in the afternoon breeze.

“Grandma,” I called out softly.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Thank you.

She paused for a brief second, looking out over the manicured lawns.

“When you were a child, I buried myself in work and left you alone too much. Then I let you go overseas by

yourself.”

“When Chloe was tormenting you in high school, I wasn’t there. When you were locked in that room yesterday, I wasn’t there either.”

She turned back to me, her eyes filled with a fierce, protective light.

“But from this moment on, your grandmother will always have your back.”