CHAPTER 3: THE ARRIVAL OF THE CHIEF ENFORCER
Head of Security Marcus Vance pushed his way through the cluster of gaping onlookers, his heavy leather shoes clicking with menacing rhythm against the pristine marble. Marcus had been on the payroll of the corporate conspirators for over six months, paid handsomely to look the other way while assets were systematically siphoned off.
“Is there a problem here, Miss Sterling?” Marcus asked smoothly, flashing a practiced, oily smile at the socialite while glaring daggers down at Charlotte. Evelyn flipped her blonde hair over her shoulder, waving a dismissive hand toward the ground where Charlotte stood brushing off her knees.
“This filthy vagrant wandered in off the street, refused to leave, and started making insane claims about owning the Solmere Empire,” Evelyn lied effortlessly with a dramatic sigh. Marcus turned his full, hostile attention onto Charlotte, his burly frame blocking any escape route toward the elevators.
“You heard the lady; get out right now before I charge you with trespassing and disturbing the peace,” Marcus rumbled, grabbing roughly at Charlotte’s forearm. The moment his heavy fingers closed around her skin, Charlotte’s eyes flashed with a cold, blinding fury that made the veteran guard momentarily hesitate.
“Take your hands off me before you lose your uniform, your pension, and your freedom in the next ten minutes,” Charlotte warned in a deadly whisper. Marcus scoffed loudly, tightening his grip as he attempted to yank her toward the revolving glass doors leading out to the bustling street.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve for someone wearing a five-dollar shirt and bleeding on a five-million-dollar floor,” Marcus mocked, ignoring the subtle warning in her tone. Across the lobby, a few seasoned business executives finally frowned, sensing that something about this encounter did not add up quite right.
Charlotte did not resist his pull physically; instead, she reached into the deep pocket of her worn denim jacket with her free hand. Her fingers brushed against a heavy, cold piece of black titanium that carried more legal and financial power than everyone in the room combined.
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“You think my mother’s sudden death and your quiet corporate boardroom coup went entirely unnoticed, don't you?” Charlotte asked, her voice ringing out clearly across the silent lobby. Marcus froze mid-stride, his face draining of color as the mention of the late matriarch hit him like a physical blow.
“Shut your mouth and keep moving, you crazy little beggar,” Marcus stammered, though his grip on her arm suddenly loosened just a fraction. The color drained from Evelyn Sterling’s face as well, a sudden spike of primal unease piercing through her arrogant socialite facade.
