Chapter 5 - Whispers in the High Tower
In the penthouse high above Park Avenue, Nathaniel Harrington admired his reflection in the antique gilded mirror. He straightened his bespoke tuxedo, checking the diamond cufflinks he had stolen from my father's private vault.
"You look like a king, darling," Victoria Kensington purred, gliding up behind him. She was draped in a crimson designer gown that plunged scandalously low, her neck sparkling with the Vance emeralds.
"Tonight, I become more than a king," Nathaniel sneered, pouring two glasses of vintage Dom Pérignon. "Once the Titan acquisition is finalized, Harrington Enterprises will control ninety percent of the Eastern seaboard freight routes. We will be untouchable."
Victoria giggled, sipping her champagne. "And to think, Clara spent years crying that you were too ambitious. Poor, pathetic Clara. I still can’t believe how easy it was."
Nathaniel’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, an irritating prickle of unease brushing across the back of his neck. "She was weak. A sentimental fool who thought love and family mattered in this town. She broke, just like her father broke."
"And the baby?" Victoria whispered, leaning against his chest, her eyes glinting with venomous delight. "You're sure the coroner destroyed everything?"
"The records are sealed, the ashes are scattered," Nathaniel snapped coldly, waving his hand as if swatting away a fly. "I paid enough to bury ten bodies. Clara Vance is a footnote in history. Forget her."
His phone suddenly buzzed violently on the glass table. Nathaniel picked it up, glancing at the caller ID. It was his chief legal counsel, Arthur Davies.
"What is it, Arthur? We’re leaving for the Plaza in twenty minutes."
"Nathaniel, we have a minor discrepancy in the overseas filings," Davies's voice sounded strained, slightly frantic. "The Zurich custodian bank hasn't released the second tranche of liquid securities for the Titan escrow deposit."
Nathaniel frowned, his brow furrowing with annoyance. "Why the hell not? The court declared me sole executor six months ago."
"They're claiming there is a jurisdictional hold placed by the Admiralty Court. We're trying to reach the registry clerk, but everything is blocked behind high-level diplomatic protocols."
"It's just bureaucratic red tape," Nathaniel snarled, refusing to let anything ruin his coronation. "Julian Sterling’s people are probably trying to delay the close because they missed out on the bidding. Call the Swiss board directly. Remind them who controls the port authorities. I will sign the closing contracts tonight regardless. The escrow can settle on Monday morning."
"Nathaniel, if that collateral isn't liquid by midnight, the loan covenant defaults automatically—"
"I said handle it!" Nathaniel barked, slamming the phone down.
Victoria looked up, her painted smile slightly hesitant. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," Nathaniel smoothed his lapels, forcing a cocky grin back onto his handsome face. "Just nervous cowards who don't know how to play with the big boys. Let’s go, Victoria. Tonight, we celebrate."
Outside, a sleek black limousine waited to take them to the Grand Ballroom of the Plaza Hotel.
May you like
Neither of them noticed the dark town car idling across the avenue, its tinted windows concealing the team of federal financial investigators who had been tracking their every digital transaction for the past seventy-two hours.
The stage was set. The trap was armed. And the victims were walking into the slaughterhouse with glasses of champagne in their hands.
