Chapter 4 - The Security Guard’s Arrival
Briana’s eyes tracked the movement of the folder, her smile faltering entirely as I pressed the intercom button connecting directly to the ground-floor security desk.
“Maya,” I said clearly into the receiver. “Could you please send Officer Miller and a backup guard up to the nineteenth floor, executive wing? We have uninvited solicitors in my office.”
Colton’s head snapped up, his face draining of color. “Wait—Vanessa, what are you doing? We’re your family!”
“You made it abundantly clear what kind of relationship we have last Saturday,” I replied, setting the phone back in its cradle without breaking eye contact. “And this is a secure engineering facility. Unbadged visitors wandering the executive wing violate federal compliance protocols.”
Briana stood up from her chair, her professional veneer finally cracking under the weight of panic and indignation. “Are you out of your mind? We drove all the way down here to offer you a ground-floor equity stake in our enterprise, and you’re treating us like criminals over a stupid text message?”
“You didn't come here to offer me an equity stake, Briana,” I said, standing up from my desk and towering over her across the polished wood. “You came here because you burned through whatever capital you had left, your latest business scheme is a disaster, and you discovered through some registry search or mutual acquaintance that my title here sounds wealthy enough to bail you out of your mistakes.”
Before Briana could launch into another screaming defense, the double glass doors of my office swung open. Officer Miller, a broad-shouldered security veteran who had worked at Kaleth for a decade, stepped inside flanked by a younger guard.
“Problem here, Ms. Holt?” Miller asked, his eyes immediately locking onto Colton and Briana.
“No problem at all, Miller. Just escort these two unauthorized visitors down to the lobby and ensure they leave the property,” I instructed smoothly.
“You can’t do this!” Briana shrieked as Miller stepped forward, gently but firmly placing a large hand beneath her elbow to guide her toward the exit. “She’s a psycho! Colton, do something! Tell your sister who we are!”
Colton scrambled backward out of his chair, looking utterly humiliated. He didn't fight the security guards; he knew better than to test corporate security in a defense-contracting facility. As Miller steered him backward toward the elevators, Colton cast one last, desperate look over his shoulder.
“Vanessa... please,” he muttered, his voice cracking. “Mom and Dad said you’d understand...”
May you like
“Tell Mom and Dad I said hello,” I replied coldly.
The elevator doors chimed, swallowed them both up, and slid shut. The office returned to a profound, echoing silence. I walked back to my desk, picked up my tablet, and let out a long, shuddering breath. The adrenaline was still pumping through my veins, but underneath it was a strange, liberating sense of weightlessness.
