Chapter 2 - The Hall of Mirrors
The lobby of Preston Tower was a cathedral of brushed steel, black granite, and silent power. For twenty-six floors, it was a shrine to logistical dominance, housing the brains of a company that moved freight across seven states. When I stepped through the revolving glass doors at twenty minutes to noon, the security guards at the front desk stiffened instantly.
Marcus, the head of ground security who had worked for my father since I was in middle school, gave me a sharp, respectful nod. He didn't say a word about the divorce papers clutched in my left hand. He didn't mention the rain drying on my wool coat. He simply tapped his terminal and buzzed open the private executive express elevator.
""Floor thirty-two is restricted today, Miss Preston,"" Marcus murmured quietly as I passed his desk. ""Per your father's directive.""
""Thank you, Marcus.""
As the elevator shot upward, the smooth mechanical hum doing little to soothe the rage settling in my chest, my phone buzzed in my palm. It was a text message from Diane.
Don’t bother sending your little friends to pack your things from the house, the message read. Tim already had the locks changed at nine this morning. Your designer junk will be in storage boxes on the curb by Friday. Have a lovely life living on your daddy's allowance, princess.
I stared at the screen, a quiet, almost hysterical laugh bubbling up in my throat. The townhouse in Lincoln Park was held under a Preston family real estate trust. Tim had signed the prenuptial agreement that explicitly surrendered any claim to real property purchased prior to our marriage. He had lived in that brownstone for four years like a king, and now he truly believed he could lock me out of my own birthright.
The elevator doors chimed and slid open onto the thirty-second floor. The executive suite was unusually quiet. The usual chatter of administrative assistants and junior analysts was replaced by the low murmur of men and women in dark suits moving briskly between conference rooms.
Sitting behind the front desk was my father's senior executive assistant, Evelyn, who had known me since I was six years old. She looked up, her silver hair perfectly coiffed, her sharp gaze softening with genuine warmth.
""He's waiting for you in Boardroom A, Jenna,"" she said softly. ""The external auditors arrived twenty minutes ago. Legal is already seated.""
""Has Tim shown up yet?"" I asked, slipping off my coat.
May you like
""His car pulled into the underground executive garage four minutes ago,"" Evelyn said, checking her monitor with a slight, satisfied smile. ""Along with Diane and Bryce. They brought Lauren up from procurement on the fourteenth floor. They seem to think they're having an early family celebration.""
""Let them celebrate,"" I said. ""For about three more minutes.""
