Part 4
Arthur didn’t just grab the keys; he practically flew behind the desk to program them himself.
He bypassed Derek entirely, shoving the clerk aside without a single word.
Within thirty seconds, Arthur was holding a gold-embossed keycard.
He walked out from behind the counter and bowed his head slightly as he extended it to Marcus.
“Allow me to escort you up personally, sir,” Arthur said, his voice dripping with forced subservience.
“No,” Marcus replied flatly.
He took the keycard from Arthur’s hand.
“You stay here. You look over the manual override logs from the last ninety days.”
“And you decide exactly how you’re going to explain them to me tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM.”
Arthur swallowed hard, nodding slowly as the gravity of the situation sank in.
Marcus didn’t wait for a response.
He turned, adjusting Zoe’s weight in his arms, and walked toward the private executive elevators.
The lobby remained dead silent as he walked.
The couple by the elevator quickly stepped aside, keeping their eyes glued to the floor, suddenly feeling very small in the presence of the man they had previously ignored.
As the elevator doors closed, isolating Marcus and Zoe from the chaos below, the silence changed.
It became peaceful.
The elevator moved smoothly, rising up forty floors without a single vibration.
Zoe let out a long, soft sigh against Marcus’s neck.
“Are we in the room yet, Daddy?” she whispered, her voice muffled by the plush fabric of her bear.
Marcus kissed the top of her head.
“Almost, baby,” he said, his tone completely shifting from the icy corporate commander to the loving father.
“Just a few more seconds. The big bed is waiting for you.”
The elevator chimed, and the doors opened directly into a massive, luxurious penthouse penthouse suite.
The city lights blinked through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a soft, golden glow over the room.
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But Marcus didn't care about the view.
He only cared about the little girl who was finally safe from the coldness outside.
