Chapter 10 - The Knock at the Penthouse DoorIt was late evening by the time I returned to my private penthouse overlooking the glittering lights of Manhattan.
The city stretched out beneath my feet like a sea of diamonds, vast, powerful, and completely at my command. I poured a glass of rare vintage wine, walked over to the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and watched the distant lights of the harbor ferries cutting through the dark water.
A soft chime echoed from the private foyer downstairs.
I frowned slightly, checking my watch. It was past 11:00 PM. My security team rarely allowed visitors at this hour unless it was an urgent corporate emergency from Julian.
I set my wine glass down and walked slowly toward the private elevator lobby.
The heavy glass doors slid open with a whisper.
Standing in the doorway was a figure in a worn, cheap canvas jacket, his shoulders hunched against the autumn chill, his hair graying at the temples. He looked older, smaller, completely hollowed out by the passage of time.
Grant.
He stared at me, his eyes wide and haunted, holding a worn leather briefcase that looked eerily familiar.
"Clara," he whispered, his voice trembling so badly the name barely reached my ears.
I didn't move. I didn't step back, nor did I invite him in. I simply crossed my arms, looking at the man who had once ordered me to crawl across a marble floor.
"How did you get past security, Grant?" I asked, my voice as cold and smooth as glass.
Grant swallowed hard, taking a slow, shaky step forward, stopping just at the threshold of the private foyer. He didn't look like a CEO. He didn't look like an aristocrat. He looked like what he had always been underneath the expensive suits: a broken man begging for mercy.
"They... they let me up," he said softly, holding out the worn leather briefcase toward me. "Because I told them... I told them I was here to return something that never belonged to me."
I looked down at the briefcase, then back up into his terrified, tear-filled eyes.
A slow, knowing smile touched my lips.
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"Keep it, Grant," I said quietly, turning my back on him and walking back toward the panoramic windows overlooking the glowing city. "In this world, you only get to keep what you earn."
The elevator doors slid shut behind him, sealing the past away forever.
