Part 2: The High-Rise Summons
The cabin doors popped open, and the humid air of the terminal rushed into the first-class cabin.
Mrs. Sterling didn't even wait for the seatbelt sign to turn off before she began barking orders at the ground crew.
"I want this man detained immediately!" she shrieked, jabbing her finger at my damp suit. "He assaulted me! He threatened my life!"
Two airport security managers stepped onto the aircraft, their expressions tense as they looked at my soda-drenched clothes.
They didn't look at Mrs. Sterling; they looked directly at me, their postures paths clearing into military respect.
"Mr. Vance," the lead manager said quietly, ignoring her screams entirely. "The executive transport is waiting at the tarmac gate."
I stood up, fastened the button of my ruined Tom Ford jacket, and picked up my black leather briefcase.
"Ensure this woman and her husband are escorted directly to the top-floor conference room at Vanguard Tower," I commanded flatly.
Mrs. Sterling laughed, a harsh, mocking sound that echoed off the cabin walls as she adjusted her pearl bracelets.
"Vanguard Tower? Arthur is a primary shareholder there! You're walking straight into your own firing, you absolute thug!"
Thirty minutes later, the express elevator clicked open on the 50th floor, revealing a sprawling, ultra-modern boardroom.
The floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking, panoramic view of the entire city skyline, dominated by the majestic sight of the Freedom Tower.
Arthur Sterling sat at the long, polished obsidian table, his grey hair perfectly styled, looking every bit the old-money billionaire.
He looked up with a confident, patronizing smile as his wife strutted into the room, draped in her sequined jacket.
"Arthur, darling!" she cried out, putting on a pathetic, theatrical performance of a victim. "This man attacked me in first class!"
Arthur's smile remained fixed on his face as he turned his head to look at me, assuming I was a mid-level manager he could crush with a phone call.
"Mr. Vance, I suggest you get your legal counsel on the line," Arthur said, his voice dripping with smooth, corporate arrogance.
"Because by noon today, my family will ensure your contract is completely terminated, and your career will be entirely erased."
May you like
I walked calmly to the head of the table, pulling back the heavy leather executive chair, and sat down directly across from them.
The glossy wood surface reflected the distant skyscrapers as I interlaced my fingers, completely dry, immaculate, and silent.
