Chapter 15: The Noon Deadline
565 Words
The air in the Vance study turned to ice. Claire kept her back to the door, her fingers white as she gripped the leather-bound ledger. She could hear the click of Elena’s heels on the hardwood floor, getting closer.
"I said, get out," Elena snapped, her voice inches away. "Wait... that’s a Thorne tech jammer. Who are—"
Elena grabbed Claire by the shoulder and spun her around. The shock on Elena’s face lasted only a second before it curdled into a malicious grin. "Well, well. The office mouse is playing thief. Does Leo know you’re out here risking a prison sentence for a man who used to sweep floors?"
Claire didn't flinch. She tucked the ledger under her arm. "Leo knows I’m doing what’s necessary to stop a family of criminals. This book is enough to put your father away for twenty years, Elena."
Elena laughed, a sharp, cold sound. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, sleek pistol. "You’re not leaving this building with that book, Claire. And honestly? Nobody is going to believe a word from a low-level analyst caught in a private vault. My security team is already on their way up."
11:55 AM — Thorne Tower Boardroom
Leo stood at the head of the table, his eyes fixed on the clock. Beside him, three bank representatives sat with pens ready. The documents to call in the stadium loans were spread out like a death warrant.
"Five minutes, Mr. Thorne," the lead banker said, looking sympathetic but firm. "If you don't sign the restructuring agreement—which gives the Vance Group a forty-percent stake in your company—we have no choice but to freeze your assets."
Leo’s phone buzzed in his pocket. A text from an encrypted line: SIGNAL LOST AT VANCE PENTHOUSE.
His heart hammered against his ribs. The stadium didn't matter. The billions didn't matter. Claire was in trouble.
"Leo, just sign it," one of his board members whispered. "Save the company. You can deal with the Vances later."
Leo looked at the pen. He looked at the clock. 11:58 AM.
He thought about the nights spent mopping the floors, the way Claire had treated him like a human being when he had nothing. He realized that if he signed this, he was becoming exactly the kind of man he went undercover to escape—a man who chose power over people.
Leo picked up the pen. The bankers leaned in.
With a sudden, violent motion, Leo snapped the pen in half and threw the pieces across the table.
"I’m not signing," Leo said, his voice echoing with a ferocity that made the bankers flinch.
"Mr. Thorne, you'll be bankrupt by sunset!"
"Then I'll start again," Leo growled, already moving toward the door. "But I’m not letting a snake like Elena Vance own a single brick of this building. And if any of you want to keep your jobs, you’d better start prayng that nothing happened to the woman I sent to get the truth."
Leo burst through the boardroom doors, his security team falling into step behind him. "Get the car," he barked. "We’re going to the Vance Tower. And tell the pilot to have the chopper over the penthouse in three minutes. If they won't open the doors, we're going through the roof."
The clock struck 12:00. The war had officially begun.
- Writer
