Chapter 42: The Bait and the Bribe
On the top floor of the Drake Sovereign Equities Tower on High Street, the morning sun poured through sixty feet of floor-to-ceiling smoked glass, illuminating an executive suite designed to project absolute, untouchable opulence. Thick imported Persian rugs silenced every step, while the bitter aroma of Havana tobacco drifted beneath the high coffered ceilings.
Harrison Drake sat behind an eight-meter desk carved from polished African ebony, his leather armchair creaking slightly as he leaned back. On the desk before him sat three thick leather portfolios stamped with the golden seals of the Grandview Mercantile Credit Union.
Sitting across from Harrison on two low leather armchairs were Bank President Oswald Pike and Chief Investment Officer Arthur V
