The first person to laugh was a billionaire. The second was a senator.

A heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the grand ballroom. The clinking of glasses stopped. The whispering ceased.

Marcus Sterling stood frozen on the stage, his microphone hanging limply in his hand. "Halloway... what are you doing? Why are you bowing to a homeless man?"

Halloway straightened up, turning his head slowly toward the stage. The look he gave Marcus wasn't one of respect; it was one of profound pity.

"Mr. Sterling," Halloway said, his voice echoing in the dead quiet of the room. "The man you just ordered security to remove is Silas Vance. CEO of Vance Omni-Corp. The majority shareholder of the Pan-African Infrastructure Bank." Halloway paused, letting the words sink in. "And the sole, private owner of the Sterling Plaza Hotel."

The collective gasp from the crowd was audible.

Julian Croft, the tech mogul who had sneered at the entrance, dropped his crystal champagne flute. It shattered against the marble floor, the sound ringing out like a gunshot.

Marcus’s face went from crimson to stark, ghostly white. "That... that's impossible. The owner of the Plaza is a reclusive European conglomerate."

"The conglomerate is a shell company, Marcus," Silas said, finally speaking. His voice was no longer polite. It was cold, hard, and laced with absolute authority. He stepped past Halloway, walking slowly toward the stage.

The crowd of billionaires, who had just moments ago looked at him like he was a disease, now parted for him like the Red Sea. They backed away, their eyes wide with shock and sudden, paralyzing fear. They knew the name Vance Omni-Corp. It was the invisible hand that controlled half the supply chains in the world.

Silas reached the stairs of the stage and walked up, his worn boots echoing loudly. He stepped up to the podium, forcing Marcus to step back.

"You wanted to buy my hotel, Marcus," Silas said, looking at the trembling billionaire. "You offered a billion dollars. It was a generous offer. But I declined it. Do you know why?"