Chapter 1: The Fall of a King
Chapter 1: The Fall of a King
Marcus returned to the presidential suite with the swagger of a man who believed the world belonged to him.
His mistress, Vanessa, poured herself another glass of champagne.
"Did she cry?" she asked with a smug smile.
Marcus laughed.
"She'll be begging for a divorce settlement by morning."
A knock interrupted him.
The hotel's general manager entered, followed by two corporate attorneys and the head of security.
Something felt different.
Nobody smiled.
The general manager cleared his throat.
"Mr. Carter... we've received an emergency directive from the Board of Directors."
Marcus frowned.
"What directive?"
The attorney slid a thick folder across the table.
"Effective immediately, your executive authority has been suspended pending an investigation."
Marcus burst into laughter.
"You people work for me."
The attorney didn't blink.
"No, sir."
"We work for the owners."
His smile disappeared.
"What owners?"
The attorney opened the folder.
"The Hawthorne Family Trust."
Marcus stared at the documents.
"No..."
"It can't be."
"It can."
The general manager stepped forward.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Carter."
"You no longer have authorization to occupy this suite."
Vanessa looked around nervously.
"What is happening?"
Marcus grabbed the papers.
"There has to be a mistake!"
"There isn't."
At that exact moment, every executive key card Marcus carried was remotely deactivated.
One after another...
His phone vibrated.
Access Denied.
Corporate Email Disabled.
Banking Authorization Revoked.
Board Access Removed.
Within sixty seconds...
The empire he believed he owned had vanished.
Outside, Isabella watched the city lights from her father's limousine.
She never smiled.
May you like
She simply whispered,
"It's finally over."
