Part 2: The House of Cards
The sudden darkness in the master bedroom was suffocating.
Dominic scrambled across the silk sheets, his hands shaking violently as he snatched his phone back up.
"What's going on?" Paige whined, pulling the duvet over her bare chest. "Did the power go out?"
Dominic ignored her, his mind reeling from the doctor's words and my cryptic final message.
He tapped the screen to call his mother, but the call failed instantly.
His cell service had been completely deactivated.
He jumped out of bed, pulling on a pair of designer sweatpants, and rushed to the bedroom door.
He twisted the brass handle, but it wouldn't budge.
The electronic smart locks, which controlled every door in the mansion, had defaulted to lockdown mode.
"Dominic, you're scaring me," Paige whimpered from the bed.
He backed away from the door, his heart hammering against his ribs in sheer panic.
He ran to the window and looked down at the sprawling circular driveway.
The massive iron security gates at the front of the estate were wide open.
Three large, unmarked black tow trucks were idling in the driveway, their amber lights flashing aggressively in the dark.
Men in heavy work jackets were attaching steel cables to the undercarriage of his beloved Porsche.
"Hey!" Dominic screamed, slamming his fist against the reinforced glass window. "Get away from my cars!"
The men didn't even look up; they simply engaged the winches and dragged the luxury vehicles onto the flatbeds.
Dominic grabbed his tablet from the nightstand, desperate to access the mansion's internal security hub.
The screen lit up, but instead of the camera feeds, a bold, red legal notice filled the display.
FORECLOSURE OF ASSETS. THIS PROPERTY IS NOW UNDER THE CUSTODY OF STERLING HOLDINGS LLC.
"Sterling Holdings," Dominic muttered, his face turning a sickly shade of pale.
That was the anonymous firm that owned his corporate debt.
That was the firm that essentially owned his entire life.
He finally managed to force the bedroom door open by kicking the electronic deadbolt until the plastic casing shattered.
He sprinted barefoot down the grand marble staircase, nearly slipping on the exact spot where his mother had pushed me.
When he reached the foyer, the front door was wide open, letting the freezing night air howl into the house.
Two men in sharp grey suits stood in the entryway, holding heavy clipboards.
"Mr. Vance," the taller man said, his voice entirely devoid of emotion. "We are representatives of Sterling Holdings."
"What the hell is going on here?" Dominic roared, pointing outside to where the tow trucks were driving away with his fleet.
"You are in breach of contract," the man replied smoothly.
"Your corporate credit accounts have been frozen, your operational leases are terminated, and your residency rights in this corporate-owned property are revoked."
Dominic let out a frantic, arrogant laugh.
"You can't do this!" he shouted. "I’m the CEO! I own Vance Construction!"
The man in the suit didn't flinch.
He simply slid a thick legal document from his clipboard and handed it to Dominic.
"You own thirty-eight percent of Vance Construction, sir," the man corrected him.
"The majority shareholder has initiated an immediate liquidation of all capital assets."
Dominic stared at the paper, his eyes scanning the aggressive legal jargon.
"You have exactly fifteen minutes to collect your personal clothing and vacate the premises," the man instructed.
"If you refuse, the local police will arrest you for criminal trespassing."
Paige had tiptoed halfway down the stairs, clutching her designer purse, listening in total shock.
"Dominic?" Paige asked, her voice trembling. "Are you... are you broke?"
Dominic spun around, his eyes wild with desperation.
"It's a mistake, baby," he pleaded, reaching out for her. "It's just a clerical error at the bank. I can fix this."
Paige looked at the men in suits, then looked at the empty driveway.
She didn't hesitate.
She tightened her grip on her expensive purse, walked quickly past Dominic without a single word, and jogged out into the night to call a cab.
Dominic stood in the freezing foyer, completely abandoned by the woman he had just been laughing with.
He had exactly fourteen minutes left to pack his life into a suitcase.
At 7:00 AM the next morning, Dominic stood on the sidewalk outside his corporate headquarters downtown.
He was wearing wrinkled clothes from the night before, shivering in the crisp morning wind.
He swiped his keycard against the security scanner of the main entrance.
A harsh red light flashed, and the reader emitted a loud, rejecting beep.
He swiped it again, slamming the plastic card against the reader.
"Denial of entry," a mechanized voice announced from the speaker.
Victoria pulled up to the curb in a cheap, yellow taxi, having been evicted from her own luxury condo an hour earlier.
She scrambled out of the cab, looking completely unhinged.
"Dominic!" Victoria cried out, her hair messy and her expensive makeup smudged across her face.
"The bank took everything! My credit cards are declining! They locked me out of the condo!"
Dominic stared at his mother, the reality of his total destruction finally sinking in.
He pulled his phone out, dialing his corporate lawyer, praying for a miracle.
The call went straight to an automated voicemail stating the number was no longer in service.
The heavy glass doors of the building suddenly slid open.
Marcus, the towering head of corporate security, stepped out onto the pavement.
He looked at Dominic and Victoria with absolute disgust.
"Mr. Vance," Marcus rumbled, his deep voice carrying over the morning traffic. "You have been formally summoned."
Dominic’s eyes widened with a sudden glimmer of desperate hope.
"Summoned?" Dominic asked. "By the board? By the majority shareholder?"
"Yes," Marcus replied, stepping aside to let them pass.
"The owner of Sterling Holdings is waiting for you in the executive boardroom on the top floor."
Victoria quickly fixed her hair, her arrogant smirk returning to her face.
"You see, Dominic?" she whispered aggressively. "They just want to negotiate. They know they can't run this company without you."
May you like
Dominic straightened his wrinkled jacket, trying to summon the ghost of his former confidence.
They walked into the elevator, completely oblivious to the slaughter that awaited them on the sixtieth floor.
