Marcus Vance’s walk from the master boardroom to the bank of executive elevators felt like a march to the gallows.
The heavy mahogany doors clicked shut behind him, sealing away the empire he had spent two decades manipulating to inherit. The expansive, sunlit corridor of the eightieth floor, normally a space where he commanded absolute deference, now felt like a sterile, hostile vacuum.
He was not alone. Flanking him were four of VanceTech’s elite internal security operatives—men loyal explicitly to Commander Elias and, by extension, to Elara and the Ghost Hand. They didn't touch him, but their presence was a suffocating, kinetic pressure. They were clad in tailored black suits, their hands resting casually near the concealed holsters at their waists.
"ID badge and corporate comm-link,
