Chapter 2 - Shadows of the Patriarch
Across the city in his private estate in the forested hills, Arthur Vance did not waste a second lowering the phone from his ear. He stood before the floor-to-ceiling glass wall of his private study, the dark polished cane resting against the mahogany desk beside him. He did not lean on it out of physical frailty; the cane was a familiar companion from an old injury, an emblem of an era when Arthur had carved his empire out of a ruthless industrial underworld before turning legitimate.
""Arthur?"" Marcus, his chief of personal security and a companion of three decades, stepped into the room from the adjoining vestibule, alerted by the sudden tension in the air.
""Prepare the convoy,"" Arthur said without turning around. His hand tightened over the silver eagle head of the walking cane until his knuckles turned bloodless. ""We are going to the Sterling Tower.""
Marcus paused, reading the lethal stillness radiating from his employer. ""Julian Sterling's residence? Sir, the merger documents with Sterling Holdings are set for signing at dawn. If we move aggressively against his household—""
""Julian Sterling laid his hands on my daughter,"" Arthur stated. The words were delivered with a horrifying calm, devoid of theatrical fury, yet Marcus felt the temperature in the room drop instantly. ""The merger is dead. The Sterlings are dead. They just don't know it yet.""
Arthur grabbed the cane, turning with a swiftness that defied his age. His grey eyes, usually calculating and reserved, burned with cold, merciless focus. He strode toward the private elevator that led directly to the subterranean motor court.
""Do we notify local authorities?"" Marcus asked, matching his pace while speaking into an encrypted radio on his collar.
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""No,"" Arthur replied coldly, stepping into the stainless steel elevator. ""The police will only create procedures and delays. When a predator invades my bloodline, I do not send a summons. I go myself.""
As the elevator doors closed, Arthur’s phone pinged with a sudden termination tone. Claire’s line had gone completely dead.
