Chapter 1: The Man from the Elevator
The polished brass elevator doors slid open with a soft chime.
Every sound in the hallway seemed to disappear.
Even Richard Ashcroft lowered the black cane still clutched in his hand.
The man who stepped out wore a charcoal overcoat over a navy suit. Silver touched his dark hair at the temples, but nothing about him suggested weakness. Behind him stood four security professionals who spread out silently without waiting for instructions.
The little girl never moved.
She remained in front of her mother, her small arms stretched as wide as they could go.
"Please..." she whispered. "Don't hurt my mommy anymore."
The stranger looked first at the child.
Then at the woman lying against the marble floor, struggling to steady her breathing.
Finally, his eyes settled on Richard.
"What happened here?"
Richard forced a laugh.
"A private family disagreement."
The stranger's expression never changed.
"So the broken walls repaired themselves?"
Richard's smile faded.
"And your wife bruised herself?"
Silence.
The stranger took one slow step forward.
"My name is Jonathan Mercer."
The name hit the hallway like thunder.
Every employee of Mercer International knew it.
Richard certainly did.
Jonathan Mercer wasn't simply the owner of the luxury residence.
He owned the company that financed half of Richard's real estate empire.
Richard's face lost its color.
"Mr... Mr. Mercer... I didn't realize you were coming today."
"You weren't supposed to."
Jonathan glanced toward the frightened child.
"But apparently I arrived exactly when I needed to."
One of the maids quietly handed Jonathan a mobile phone.
"The internal security system has already preserved every camera angle on this floor."
May you like
Richard felt the ground disappear beneath him.
There had been cameras all along.
