Chapter 6 - Dawn at the Showroom
The morning sun broke over Dallas, casting a brilliant golden light across the polished glass facade of Caldwell Sterling Motors.
But the atmosphere outside was entirely different from the day before.
News vans lined the street, satellite dishes pointing toward the entrance. Federal marshals stood at attention by the glass doors, while corporate executives from Vanguard Global Tech stood outside on the pavement, their briefcases clutched tightly, looking utterly ruined as their stock prices plummeted into freefall on Wall Street.
Inside the showroom, the black two-million-dollar supercar sat majestically under the crystal lights, exactly where it had been yesterday.
Only this time, the crowd parted in absolute reverence as the heavy doors opened.
Henry Carter walked in first, standing tall and proud, his head held high.
And walking right beside him was Eli Carter.
He was still wearing his blue mechanic’s coveralls, still sporting a faint smudge of grease across his cheek, and his worn sneakers clicked softly against the pristine marble floor. But as he walked past the gathered journalists and flashing cameras, no one laughed. No one mocked him.
They looked at him with awe.
Standing near the center of the showroom was Victoria Sterling herself. Her immaculate designer suit couldn't hide the raw fury and defeat carved into her face. As Eli walked past her, she stepped forward, her eyes narrowing into venomous slits.
“You think you’ve won, you little rat,” Victoria hissed quietly, venom dripping from every word. “You and your grandfather might have stolen our registry today, but the corporate world eats children alive. You won't survive a week in the real boardrooms.”
Eli stopped in his tracks. He didn't flinch. He didn't look intimidated.
He simply turned his head, looked her dead in the eye, and offered a cool, composed half-smile that looked hauntingly like his father’s.
“My dad taught me a long time ago, Mrs. Sterling,” Eli said clearly, his voice carrying effortlessly across the silent showroom. “You don't need a boardroom to beat a predator.”
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He tapped the sleek black key fob in his palm.
“You just need to know how to pop the hood.”
