Chapter 1 - The Collision
The afternoon sun reflected off nearby skyscrapers as I crossed the parking plaza.
A few dozen people moved through the area.
Most were rushing back to their offices with iced coffees in hand.
I was just looking for a quiet bench and a moment to breathe.
My silver Porsche 911 was parked in a secluded corner spot.
It was vintage, understated, and perfectly anonymous.
I was ten feet away from my car when I heard the screeching tires.
A neon green Lamborghini came tearing around the corner at fifty miles an hour.
The driver was completely ignoring the speed bumps and pedestrian walkways.
A young woman carrying a tray of coffees leaped out of the way just in time.
Her drinks shattered on the pavement as the sports car swerved.
The Lamborghini overcorrected and slammed violently into the side of my parked Porsche.
The sound of crunching metal echoed across the concrete plaza.
The driver’s side door of the green car popped open.
A young man stepped out wearing designer sunglasses and a suit that cost more than most people make in a year.
He didn't check on the terrified woman on the ground.
He didn't even look apologetic.
Instead, he pulled out his phone and started recording a video.
"Yo, what is up guys, you won't believe this," he yelled into his camera.
"Some absolute loser parked his ancient piece of junk right in my blind spot."
He pointed the camera at me.
"Look at this guy in the cheap white shirt."
"He probably doesn't even have insurance for that rust bucket."
He walked right up to my face with the camera still rolling.
"You're going to pay for every scratch on my Lambo, you broke nobody."
I stayed completely silent, staring at him with cold detachment.
I recognized him immediately from the business intelligence briefings I read that morning.
He was Chad Vance, the spoiled son of Marcus Vance.
Marcus was the exact corporate raider whose hostile takeover bid I had just rejected an hour ago.
This was not a random accident.
My phone vibrated in my pocket with an urgent alert.
May you like
I pulled it out and read the text message from my head of security.
It read: "Julian, Vance knows you left the building alone, and he sent his son to corner you."
