Chapter 10 - The Shadow of the PastWhile the thirty-second floor of the Calloway tower embraced a new era, three miles away in a damp, dimly lit apartment above the downtown laundromat, a heavy fist pounded on a locked wooden door.
“Open up! I know you’re in there!”
Mr. Henderson, the landlord, kicked the baseboard with his boot, his face red with alcoholic rage. “You think because your high-rolling billionaire friend bought up the mortgage that you’re untouchable, Maria?! You owe back fees! You owe late penalties!”
Inside the small apartment, Carol Bennett held little Lily tightly in her arms, her heart hammering against her ribs.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, Mama will be home soon,” Carol whispered, stroking the little girl’s hair.
Mr. Henderson didn't leave. Instead, he pulled out a heavily scratched smartphone, dialed a number he had saved under a very specific name, and waited for it to ring.
On the other side of the city, sitting in the leather interior of a rented black sedan parked outside a luxury hotel, Vanessa Cole stared at her phone screen. Her subscriber count had plummeted. Her endorsement deals were gone. Her life had been reduced to a cramped hotel room and a bitter, burning hatred.
She saw the caller ID flash on her screen: Henderson (Slumlord).
Vanessa swiped to answer, her voice dripping with venom. “This better be good, Henderson. I’m in the middle of planning my retaliation.”
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“Oh, it’s good, Ms. Cole,” Henderson laughed darkly through the static. “Your little replacement, Maria? She thinks she’s queen of the world now living in that estate. But she left her old storage locker behind in my basement. And inside this locker are some very interesting legal documents. Things about her missing husband, Daniel Delgado, and some unpaid debts that could land her in federal court for fraud.”
Vanessa’s eyes narrowed, a cruel, calculating smile spreading slowly across her painted lips. “Fraud? Tell me everything, Henderson. And name your price.”
