My Milf Conqueror System novel Chapter 49

Chapter 49: War with Vanguard

The Sterling Foundation headquarters wasn’t on campus. It was a limestone monolith in the heart of the city, directly across from City Hall. A subtle reminder of who actually ran this town.

I walked in at 9:55 AM. The [Shadow Tuxedo] was back in its garment bag, replaced by my standard "serious student" look: a charcoal blazer, a white button-down, and the exhaustion of a man who had slept three hours.

"Mr. Hart," the receptionist said before I even reached the desk. "Ms. Sterling is expecting you in the solarium."

Of course she was.

The solarium was on the roof—a glass-enclosed garden that smelled of jasmine and money. Victoria was sitting at a wrought-iron table, sipping an espresso. She wasn’t wearing a ballgown today. She wore a white power suit that looked sharp enough to cut glass.

She didn’t look up as I approached.

"You look tired, Jake," she said. "Long night?"

"Productive night," I corrected, sitting opposite her.

She smiled over the rim of her cup. "I bet. Elena always was... enthusiastic when she wins."

She set the cup down. The smile vanished.

"But the victory lap is over. Thorne called the Chairman of the Board at 6 AM. He’s filing a formal complaint against Elena for ’gross ethical misconduct.’ Specifically, engaging in a sexual relationship with a student who is the primary beneficiary of a university grant."

I kept my face impassive. [Micro-Expression Control] was becoming second nature.

"He has no proof," I said.

"He doesn’t need proof to start an investigation," Victoria countered. "He just needs reasonable suspicion. Once the investigation starts, Elena is suspended. The grant is frozen. And Thorne steps in as interim administrator to ’protect the assets.’"

"And then he raids the grant to bail out Vanguard," I finished.

"Precisely." Victoria leaned back. "He’s desperate, Jake. The rumors about the Science Center are spreading. Vanguard’s stock is down 4% this morning. He needs that liquidity by Friday, or he defaults on his construction loans."

"So he’s burning Elena to save himself."

"He’s burning you to save himself," she corrected. "Elena is just collateral damage. You’re the target. He hates you. He blames you for Singapore. He blames you for the grant. He wants you expelled, destitute, and ruined."

I looked at her.

"Why are you telling me this? You could just let him do it. If Elena falls, you could install your own Dean."

"I could," Victoria admitted. "But I don’t like Marcus Thorne. He’s messy. He’s loud. And he’s trying to steal my family’s money to fix his mistakes. The Sterling Grant isn’t a piggy bank for incompetent hedge fund managers."

She slid a folder across the table.

"I can stop the Board meeting."

I looked at the folder. It was thin. Black.

"How?"

"My father isn’t the President of the Board," she said simply. "But he owns the President. The Sterling Foundation provides 40% of the university’s operating budget. If my father calls the President and says he’s concerned about Thorne’s stability... the investigation disappears."

"And why would you do that?"

"Because you’re going to give me something in return."

I didn’t touch the folder. "What do you want?"

"I want Vanguard," she said.

The air in the solarium went still.

"Excuse me?"

"Thorne is finished," Victoria said, her eyes cold and blue. "He’s a dinosaur. But Vanguard... Vanguard has assets. Real estate. Intellectual property. The Science Center contract."

She leaned forward.

"I want you to help me acquire Vanguard Holdings. Hostile takeover. Pennies on the dollar."

"I’m a student, Victoria. Not a corporate raider."

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