Chapter 6 - THE PRESS CONFERENCEThe flashbulbs outside Vantage Tower at noon were blinding enough to melt concrete.
Over fifty journalists, camera crews from every major financial network, and local news vans jammed the courtyard. Microphones were thrust toward the glass revolving doors as security guards formed a tight, professional wedge around the marble steps.
When I stepped through the doors, flanked by Uncle Marc and Elena Marquez, the noise level reached a deafening crescendo.
"Madam President! Is Hawthorne Leisure officially dissolved?" "Can you confirm the total recovery valuation?" "What is the status of the Richardson family?"
I walked up to the podium, resting my hands on the polished wooden ledge. Behind me, the massive digital billboard of Vantage Capital flashed the new corporate logo—a clean, sharp geometric crest replacing the old Hawthorne insignia.
I waited for the camera shutters to slow down before I spoke.
"Good afternoon," I began, my voice steady, clear, and carrying across the plaza through the directional speakers. "As of 11:45 a.m., Vantage Capital has officially concluded the acquisition and restructuring of Hawthorne Holdings. All outstanding corporate debt has been consolidated, defaulted assets have been seized, and legal proceedings regarding personal asset guarantees have been successfully executed."
A reporter from the Wall Street Journal shouted from the front row. "President Vance, rumors are circulating that Liam Richardson—son of former CEO Richard Richardson—has signed a total asset forfeiture agreement. Is he facing criminal prosecution as well?"
I looked directly into the camera lens, knowing that somewhere in a cheap midtown motel room, Liam was watching this exact broadcast on a flickering screen.
"Mr. Richardson has cooperated fully with our asset recovery division," I answered smoothly. "He has settled his financial obligations in full through voluntary forfeiture. As for criminal charges regarding corporate negligence and fraudulent asset inflation, the state prosecutor's office is currently reviewing the forensic audits provided by Sovereign Trust."
Elena handed me a second folder, this one containing community reinvestment deeds.
"Furthermore," I continued, raising my voice slightly to cut through the murmurs of the crowd, "Vantage Capital believes in rebuilding communities from the ground up—not on the backs of shell companies and inflated credit. Therefore, the former Hawthorne corporate headquarters on Fifth Avenue will not be sold to luxury developers."
A collective gasp rippled through the press corps.
"The entire thirty-story building," I announced, smiling faintly, "is being converted into affordable housing and small-business incubator space, managed directly by the Rowan Street Foundation."
The plaza erupted into chaos. Shouts, questions, and applause blended into a wall of sound.
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Uncle Marc leaned over, whispering in my ear with a proud grin. "Well, President Vance. You just wiped out one of the most powerful families in the city and gave away a fifty-million-dollar skyscraper. Your father would have been proud."
"My father worked forty years on a factory floor, Uncle Marc," I replied, turning away from the microphones and walking back toward the cool, quiet safety of the tower lobby. "He taught me that real wealth isn't built on glass yachts and fake credit. It's built on things that don't wash away when the tide comes in."
