Chapter 5 - THE PLEA AT THE TOWER
At 10:00 PM, a torrential downpour slammed into Manhattan.
At the entrance of the newly renamed Voss Global Tower (formerly Apex Tower), security guards stood under the grand glass awning.
A figure stumbled out of a yellow taxi—having paid the driver with his last physical $100 bill.
Damian Vance walked toward the gold-rimmed glass doors, drenched to the bone, shivering violently.
The head security guard—a man named Thomas, whom Damian had cursed out and threatened to fire multiple times over the past few years—stepped forward, blocking the entrance.
"Mr. Vance," Thomas said, his voice completely devoid of respect. "You are banned from these premises."
"Thomas, please!" Damian begged, throwing his hands up. "I need to see Elena! Just five minutes! Tell her it's a matter of life and death! Please, Thomas! I'm begging you!"
Thomas looked down at the man who used to strut through these doors like a god. There was no pleasure in Thomas's eyes, only cold satisfaction.
"Wait here," Thomas said. He spoke into his earpiece. A few seconds passed, and then he looked back at Damian. "Ms. Voss will see you. But you go through full security screening first."
Ten minutes later, Damian was led into the top-floor penthouse office.
The room had been completely redesigned. The gaudy gold statues and self-indulgent portraits of Damian had been ripped away, replaced by sleek, modern minimalism.
Elena sat behind a massive black marble desk, looking through digital financial reports. She didn't look up when Damian entered.
Damian slowly walked across the room, feeling smaller with every step.
"Elena..." he whispered, his voice cracking.
Elena slowly raised her head. She looked at him—soaked, shivering, broken—without a single trace of emotion.
"You look wet, Damian," she said casually.
Damian collapsed to his knees right in front of her desk, putting his hands together in a pleading gesture.
"Elena, please... I was wrong! I was a foolish, arrogant bastard! I treated you horribly! I took credit for your work, I humiliated you, I... I hit you! I deserve everything that happened to me!"
Elena leaned back in her chair, folding her hands. "Then why are you here?"
"Nikolai Volkov is going to kill me tonight!" Damian sobbed, tears streaming down his rain-soaked face, mixing with the grime on his skin. "I owe him $70 million! If I don't pay by midnight, his hitmen are going to take me! You have trillions now, Elena! $70 million is pocket change for you! Please... buy my debt! Save my life!"
Elena stared at him for a long, agonizing moment.
"Why should I?" she asked quietly.
"Because... because we were partners once!" Damian yelled desperately. "Because despite everything, I brought you into this company! I gave you a platform! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be standing here right now!"
Elena’s eyes flashed with a sudden, dark intensity.
"You didn't give me a platform, Damian," she said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You were an anchor dragging me down. I stayed in your company because I was protecting you from your uncle. I stayed because I promised your father on his deathbed that I wouldn't destroy his son unless his son became a monster."
Damian froze. "My... my father?"
"Your father knew what you were," Elena said, standing up and walking around the desk. "He knew you were weak, cruel, and vain. He left Voss Global in my name because he knew if he gave it to you, you would burn the world down just to feel warm."
She stopped right in front of him, looking down at his kneeling form.
"And yesterday, when you hit me and threw those files in my face... you proved your father right. You became the monster he feared."
Damian stared at her, completely broken, realizing that every single choice in his life had been watched, judged, and anticipated.
"So..." Damian choked out, "you're just going to let Nikolai kill me?"
Elena pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen a few times and placed it on speakerphone on the desk.
"Ms. Voss," Nikolai Volkov’s heavy voice echoed through the speakers.
Damian’s eyes went wide.
"Mr. Volkov," Elena said calmly. "Damian Vance is currently in my office, begging for his life."
"Do you wish for me to cancel the debt contract, Ms. Voss?" Nikolai asked respectfully. "As part of our new agreement with Voss Global, your word is law."
Damian looked up at Elena, a glimmer of hope catching in his chest. "Elena... please..."
Elena looked at Damian.
"Mr. Volkov," Elena said clearly into the phone. "I am buying Damian’s debt from you. Full payment of $70 million plus a $30 million handling fee has just been transferred to your account."
"Received," Nikolai replied. "Damian Vance’s debt is now officially owned by Voss Global Holdings. He is yours to dispose of."
"Thank you, Nikolai," Elena said, hanging up the phone.
Damian let out a massive sigh of relief, dropping his forehead against the cold floor. "Thank you... thank you, Elena! I swear to God, I'll work for you! I'll be your butler, your driver, anything! I'll pay you back!"
"Stand up, Damian," Elena said.
Damian scrambled to his feet, wiping his eyes, a pathetic smile breaking across his face. "Anything you want, Elena! What do you want me to do?"
Elena looked him straight in the eye.
"I want you to sign this."
May you like
She slid a thick document across the table.
Damian looked at the title of the document, and his blood ran completely cold.
