Chapter 9 - The Chess Match of Billions
Before Vance could take another step toward the study,
the private elevator chimed once more.
The doors slid open with a sharp hiss.
Julian stepped out into the living room,
his face carved from cold,
unyielding granite.
Behind him,
two of his own elite security operatives stood guard inside the elevator car,
their assault rifles raised and locked onto Vance's men.
Vance stopped dead in his tracks.
For a brief,
fleeting second,
genuine panic flashed across Vance's meticulously cultivated expression.
Then,
just as quickly,
the professional mask of corporate arrogance slid back into place.
“Julian,” Vance greeted smoothly,
raising his hands in a gesture of mock surrender.
“I was wondering when you’d grace your own penthouse with your presence.
”
Julian walked slowly across the marble floor,
his eyes fixed entirely on Vance.
He didn't raise his voice.
He didn't make a single theatrical gesture.
He simply radiated an aura of absolute,
terrifying power.
“You look nervous,
Victor,” Julian observed quietly,
stopping just a few feet away from his senior managing partner.
“Nervous?” Vance scoffed,
forcing a confident chuckle.
“Why on earth would I be nervous,
Julian?”
“I hold sixty percent of the voting shares proxy.
”
“I control the board.
”
“And as of six o'clock this morning,
the probate trust defaults entirely to my control.
”
“You’ve lost,
Julian.
”
“You just don't have the stomach to admit it.
”
Julian reached slowly into his breast pocket.
He pulled out Clara’s manila folder and tossed it carelessly onto the glass coffee table between them.
“You forgot about the trust document,
Victor,” Julian said softly.
Vance’s gaze dropped to the folder.
The color drained completely from his face,
leaving his skin the shade of old parchment.
“That.
.
.
that was destroyed in Maine,” Vance stammered,
his polished veneer finally cracking.
“Everything was burned.
”
“Clara was thorough,” Julian replied,
his voice dropping into a lethal whisper.
“And so am I.
”
“My nephew is currently being retrieved from Saint Anne’s Children’s Home by my tactical team.
”
“And federal marshals are currently executing search warrants on your offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands.
”
“Checkmate,
May you like
Victor.
”
