Chapter 1 - The Handcuff Clause
The heavy steel cuffs dangled from Officer Vance’s duty belt, clicking against his holster like a ticking clock. In the center of the plush penthouse suite, Leo—known in boardrooms across Manhattan simply as the Toddler Titan—stared down the three officers. His tiny fingers rested upon the mahogany desk. A single tear hovered at the edge of his lash, but it was not weakness. It was calculation.
""Forty-nine followers,"" Officer Vance boomed, stepping forward until his tactical boots met the edge of the hand-woven Persian rug. ""The Corporate Metric Enforcement Act is unambiguous. Under fifty, and your license to operate as a venture capitalist is revoked. You’re coming downtown, sir.""
Leo leaned back into the deep black leather of his swivel chair. His tailored Italian suit jacket creaked against the upholstery. Behind him, panoramic glass panes framed the glittering glass canyons of Wall Street, fifty floors above ground. Outside, rain lashed against the windows, echoing the grim mood inside.
""Officers,"" Leo’s high-pitched, childish voice held the chilling composure of a veteran hedge fund architect. ""Every digital platform fluctuates. Algorithmic churn is not a crime under Section Four. Check the server cache.""
""Don't patronize me, boss,"" Vance snapped, pulling a pair of mini-zip ties from his vest. ""Your engagement numbers tanked at market open. You’re legally obsolete.""
Leo’s executive assistant, Claire, hovered near the double doors, clutching a stack of confidential balance sheets against her grey blazer. Her knuckles turned white. She knew the secret ledger kept in the desk’s hidden drawer—a document detailing who bought the algorithm that suppressed Leo's feed.
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""Officer Vance,"" Leo whispered, extending his tiny hand toward the smartphone perched on the desk. ""Look at the screen. Fifty isn't just a number. It's leverage.""
The screen buzzed violently, its glare bathing Leo’s face in blue light. Vance’s radio squawked through static, cutting him off mid-stride with an urgent, garbled distress code.
