The Burden of the Crown Adrian did not merely possess wealth. He was the actual, living embodiment of it.

The elevator dinged. Four massive corporate security guards, wearing the Vanguard insignia, stepped onto the floor.

"Arrest her," Sterling pointed at Maya. "She's been embezzling."

The guards moved forward. Maya backed away, tears welling in her eyes. "No! It's him! He's lying!"

One of the guards reached for Maya’s arm.

Julian didn't hesitate. The masquerade was over.

"Touch her," Julian roared, his voice echoing like thunder through the empty office, "and I will personally ensure you never work in this hemisphere again."

The guard froze, confused by the sheer, terrifying dominance radiating from a junior clerk in a cheap polyester shirt.

Marcus Sterling scoffed. "Ignore him! Throw them both out!"

Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out a sleek, obsidian-black card. The Vanguard Chairman's key card. There were only two in the entire world. He tossed it onto the desk.

"Call Thorne on the executive secure line," Julian ordered the head of security, his voice dripping with absolute power. "Authorization code: Apex-Omega-Seven. Ask him who is standing in front of you."

The head guard frowned, pulling a comms device from his belt. He muttered the code. A moment later, his face drained of all color. He looked from the comms device to Julian, absolute horror dawn in his eyes.

"Mr... Mr. Vanguard, sir," the guard stammered, immediately snapping to attention and stepping away from Maya. "We had no idea."

Marcus Sterling stopped breathing. His smug smile melted into a mask of pure, unadulterated terror. He looked at "Jules," finally recognizing the sharp jawline and ruthless eyes from the Forbes magazine covers.

"Julian... Vanguard?" Sterling choked out.

Maya stood frozen, her heart stopping in her chest. She stared at the man she had been sharing cheap coffee with. The man she had held hands with under a desk.

"Guards," Julian said, never breaking eye contact with the trembling VP. "Detain Mr. Sterling. Confiscate his electronics. He is fired, effective immediately, and I want a federal prosecutor on the phone in ten minutes."