Chapter 3 - Shadows in the BoardroomThe Carter Tower penthouse occupied the top four floors of the financial district's tallest monolith, offering a panoramic view of a grey, freezing Chicago skyline. But inside the private executive study, the atmosphere was thick with tension rather than luxury.
Ethan sat on the edge of a cream-colored velvet sofa, looking entirely out of place. A silver tray sat on the mahogany coffee table before him, piled high with prime rib sandwiches, warm pastries, and a crystal pitcher of iced water. He hadn't touched a thing.
The heavy oak doors swung open. William Carter entered, having changed into a fresh charcoal suit. Behind him walked Marcus Vance—not the doctor from the hospital, but Marcus Vance Sr., senior partner at Vance, Sterling & Cole, and the primary legal counsel for Carter Global Industries.
Marcus adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, eyeing Ethan with undisguised disgust.
"William, are you out of your mind?" Marcus barked, tossing a thick leather briefcase onto the desk. "You pulled me away from a corporate merger meeting to look at a... a stray?"
"The boy saved my son's life, Marcus," William said calmly, pouring himself a finger of single-malt Scotch.
"He pointed out a muscle spasm! Let's not turn a stroke of bizarre medical luck into a fairy tale," Marcus scoffed, walking over to stand near the floor-to-ceiling windows. "The doctors at Chicago General are already calling it a spontaneous autonomic recovery. It has nothing to do with this kid. In fact, keeping an unvetted minor with no background in your private residence while your child is in intensive care is a massive security risk."
William took a slow sip of his drink, his eyes fixed on the amber liquid. "Security risk? Or a coincidence?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Think about it, Marcus," William said, his voice dangerously soft. "My son, Leo, is the sole heir to Carter Global. Three months ago, our corporate network experienced a massive data breach originating from an IP address inside our own secure facility. Two weeks ago, my lead structural engineer died in a 'suspicious' car accident. And today—just today—my wife leaves Leo in the nursery for ten minutes, and he suffers a sudden, catastrophic cardiac arrest caused by an unknown compound in his formula."
Marcus froze. The irritation vanished from his face, replaced by a cold realization. "You think the poisoning was intentional?"
"I know it was," William said, slamming his glass down onto the mahogany table. The crystal cracked. "And the toxicology preliminary report from the hospital just came through. It wasn't an accident. Someone administered a synthetic digitalis analog. A poison designed to mimic a natural heart attack in infants."
Marcus turned slowly, looking from William to Ethan, who was quietly drinking a glass of water. "And what does the boy have to do with this?"
"When Ethan found my wallet near LaSalle and Adams," William said, staring directly at the teenager, "he wasn't just walking by chance, was he, Ethan?"
May you like
Ethan set his glass down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his dirty sleeve.
"No," Ethan said. "I wasn't."
