Ascending To Him

CHAPTER 4: THE CRYSTAL CAGE

​~ Lyra Thorne ~

​When the limousine door was opened by the chauffeur, the noise of the outside world rushed in like an explosion. But this time, the noise wasn't the honking of Queens; it was the shutter clicks of dozens of cameras. My eyes dimmed for a moment as flashes went off one after another. Marcus Black stepped out of the car with his typical ice-cold demeanor and extended his hand to me.

​Holding that hand was like signing a contract in blood. As I stepped out of the car, even the sound of my high heels hitting the wet asphalt was lost among the flashes. Marcus’s hand settled on my waist. This wasn't a gentle touch; it was a directive. "Don’t forget to breathe," he whispered, his voice close enough for only me to hear in that chaos. "And never look down. People here sense hesitation like blood; they’ll swarm you."

​I kept my head high. The crowd in front of me was trying to figure out who this "new" face beside Marcus Black was. As the flashes burst against my face, the texture of my silk dress felt like it was burning my skin. My damp house in Queens and my father’s never-ending debts were miles away now. My father was likely passed out in that shanty house far away right now, and he had absolutely no clue that I was here. He wouldn't, either. Until I chose to tell him, he would continue to wallow in his own misery.

​When the massive doors of the restaurant opened before us, the chatter inside was cut like a blade. Marcus Black entered, and the room seemed to reshape itself around him. Everyone here knew how he had reached this point. He hadn't just inherited an empire. The paths he took, the rivals he crushed, and the strategies he built until he became Killington Vance’s right hand made him the most dangerous man in this room. He was a conqueror who had achieved everything with his own bare hands.

​"Marcus, what a great surprise," said a middle-aged woman approaching us, her neck practically bowed under the weight of her jewelry. "A new... assistant?"

​As Marcus took a glass from a waiter’s tray, that fake smile appeared on his face. "Miss Thorne is the newest and sharpest mind at Vance Corp. She isn't just an employee; she is my most trusted analyst."

​Marcus had introduced me not as an ornament, but as a weapon. Later in the evening, when Marcus became immersed in a deep conversation with business partners, I slipped away toward the balcony to catch my breath. Manhattan was beneath my feet. Just then, my phone vibrated. The new phone Marcus had given me... There was an unregistered number on the screen.

​I answered. "Hello?"

​"How’s the air on the 82nd floor, Lyra?"

​The voice was raspy and familiar. Emma. Her voice was trembling, but it carried a hatred she couldn't hide. "Why do you think Marcus pulled you up there? You didn't find that error. Marcus planted it there on purpose. He was just testing to see who would notice it. He was looking for a sacrificial lamb, and you took the bait. He’s going to use you so badly that you’ll miss that parking lot in Queens."

​I said nothing. I didn't let Emma’s poisonous words seep into my mind, but I didn't hang up immediately either. Listening to her helplessness proved that I was on the right track. When I hung up and tucked the phone into the hidden pocket of my jacket, not a single muscle in my face moved. Marcus had no idea about this call, and he wouldn't as long as I didn't allow it. I made a mental note of Emma’s "bait" theory, but I would never breathe a word of it to Marcus.

​When I stepped back inside, I saw Marcus talking to a group of men. He gave a slight nod when he noticed me. As I approached him, I could see that absolute authority of being Killington Vance’s right hand over everyone around him. He wasn't some trust-fund heir; he was the man who had built everything at this table from scratch.

​"Shall we go?" Marcus said, coming over to me.

​Once we were in the limousine, Marcus reverted to his distant posture, staring out the window. I didn't mention a single word about Emma’s call or her theories. This information was my leverage, my secret.

​"There will be a new file on your desk tomorrow morning, Lyra," Marcus said, his voice ice-cold. "That file is critical for Vance Corp. I expect it to be finished by tomorrow. It’s a good opportunity to prove yourself."

​"It will be ready, sir," was all I said.

​As the car entered my neighborhood, I looked at that old, dilapidated apartment. Marcus’s gaze was on me, but I didn't break the silence that hid Emma’s warning. When the car stopped, the chauffeur opened the door. I stepped out and walked onto the muddy sidewalks of Queens in that silk dress, entering the apartment. Marcus watched from behind, but he didn't know the new secret I was carrying. My father still had no idea about any of this; while he was lost in his own world, I was finding new ways to survive in Marcus Black’s world.