Chapter 1 - THE NAME ABOVE THE SHOWROOM
The salesman’s hand struck Nathan Sterling’s shoulder hard enough to send him onto the polished showroom floor.
His backpack slid several feet across the marble.
A pair of broken headphones fell from the open zipper.
The entire dealership became silent.
Nathan remained on one knee beside the glossy black sports car.
He wore a plain gray T-shirt, faded jeans, and inexpensive sneakers.
Nothing about him suggested wealth.
Nothing about him explained why the dealership’s general manager was suddenly running through the crowd with terror on his face.
Victor Lang stopped beside Nathan.
His expensive shoes nearly slipped on the marble.
“Young Master.”
Victor dropped to his knees.
“I am so incredibly sorry.”
Grant Mercer, the salesman who had shoved Nathan, stared at him.
“You know this kid?”
Victor looked up as though Grant had just insulted the president.
“This is Nathan Sterling.”
The name moved through the showroom in whispers.
Sterling Crown Motors.
The silver letters appeared above every entrance.
The company owned seventy-six luxury dealerships across the country.
Nathan was the only son of Daniel Sterling, the late chairman whose face still appeared in framed photographs near the executive offices.
More importantly, Nathan had turned eighteen that morning.
At midnight, the controlling shares held inside his father’s trust had transferred into his name.
The teenager on the floor owned fifty-one percent of the company.
Nathan accepted Victor’s hand and stood.
His left palm had been scraped against the marble.
He looked at the blood without reacting.
Then he picked up his broken headphones.
Grant’s confident expression disappeared.
“I didn’t know who he was.”
Nathan looked at him.
“That is the problem.”
Grant opened his mouth.
No words came.
Nathan pointed toward him.
“Fire him.”
“Right now.”
Victor nodded rapidly.
“Of course.”
“Security will remove him immediately.”
Two security officers approached.
Grant raised both hands.
“This is ridiculous.”
“He was touching a restricted vehicle.”
“He ignored me.”
“He looked like he was going to damage it.”
Nathan turned toward the black sports car.
Its polished body reflected the chandelier lights.
“You told me I could work my whole life and never afford the tires.”
Grant swallowed.
“I was trying to protect company property.”
“No.”
Nathan faced him again.
“You decided I did not deserve to stand near it.”
“You decided what kind of person I was because of my clothes.”
“Then you put your hands on me.”
Grant looked toward Victor for help.
Victor avoided his eyes.
Nathan spoke to the security officers.
“Do not take him outside yet.”
Victor looked confused.
“You just ordered him fired.”
“He is fired.”
“But he is also going to answer questions.”
Nathan walked toward the reception desk.
He picked up the phone and called the corporate legal department.
“This is Nathan Sterling.”
“I am at the Crown City flagship dealership.”
“Freeze all personnel records, sales files, security footage, financing approvals, and vendor payments connected to this location.”
Victor’s face turned pale.
“Young Master, that is unnecessary.”
Nathan slowly lowered the phone.
“Why?”
“This was one employee’s mistake.”
“Then an audit will prove that.”
Victor forced a smile.
“Of course.”
Nathan looked toward the black sports car again.
The vehicle was a Sterling Ares X.
Only twelve had ever been produced.
This one was not supposed to be in a showroom.
It belonged inside the private Sterling archive.
The car had been designed by Nathan’s father shortly before his death.
Nathan walked toward the windshield.
A white sales card listed the price as two million dollars.
Beneath the price was a vehicle identification number.
Nathan read it twice.
Then he looked at Victor.
May you like
“Why are you selling my father’s prototype?”
Victor’s smile disappeared.
