Chapter 2 - The Corporate Sabotage
Nathaniel stared at the threatening text message in disbelief.
His own executive board was somehow blackmailing him over a worthless, crumbling building.
He silenced his phone and slipped back into the shadows of the alleyway.
He could not risk exposing himself until he knew exactly who was threatening his mother.
Inside the room, Grace stood her ground as the security guards stepped closer.
"I am not leaving until I find a safe place for these kids," Grace declared.
Vance sneered and grabbed one of the bags of leftover food from the table.
He dumped the roasted chicken onto the dirty floor and crushed it beneath his expensive shoe.
Little Lucy let out a heartbreaking sob.
"Tomorrow at 8:00 AM, the bulldozers arrive," Vance warned before turning away.
"If anyone is still inside, they will become part of the foundation."
The men left, leaving the children crying and Grace frantically trying to comfort them.
Nathaniel hurried back to his SUV, his mind racing with possibilities.
He drove straight to his corporate headquarters instead of his mansion.
The forty-story glass tower was entirely dark except for the executive penthouse.
Nathaniel used his emergency override keycard to bypass the elevators and took the private stairs.
He crept into the server room and accessed the restricted acquisition files.
The building Grace was using as a shelter had been purchased by a shell company under his name.
The purchase price was fifty times the actual value of the ruined property.
Someone in his inner circle was laundering massive amounts of money through this demolition project.
He printed the transaction logs and shoved the papers into his coat pocket.
Suddenly, the server room door clicked shut, and the electronic keypad glowed red.
A metallic voice echoed through the intercom system.
May you like
"You should have stayed out of the rain, Mr. Ashford," the voice mocked.
Thick, gray smoke began pouring out of the ventilation ducts above him.
