Chapter 2 - The Glass TowerThe taxi cut through the heavy evening traffic, dropping me off in front of the gleaming, steel-and-glass headquarters of Vale Meridian Capital in downtown Chicago.
Rain lashed against the massive revolving doors, but I held Mateo tightly against my chest, sheltering him beneath my wool coat. The lobby was a cathedral of wealth—polished black marble floors, towering floral arrangements, and security guards wearing sharp bespoke suits who looked like they moonlighted as special forces operatives.
As I pushed through the doors, a security guard stepped smoothly into my path.
“Ma’am, can I help you?” he asked, his tone polite but firm, his eyes taking in my damp jacket and the baby strapped to my chest. “Appointments are required to enter the executive levels.”
“I don’t have an appointment,” I said, my voice steady, cutting through the ambient hum of the lobby. “Tell Alexander Vale that Elena’s daughter is here. And tell him I brought the asset he’s been paying one hundred and ten thousand dollars a month to hide.”
The guard’s professional mask slipped for a fraction of a second. He stared at me, evaluating whether I was unhinged or dangerous.
Before he could signal for backup, a crisp, authoritative voice echoed from the elevator banks.
“Let her through.”
A tall man in a charcoal suit was walking toward us, flanked by two junior associates carrying leather folios. It was Marcus Vance, Vale’s chief of staff, whose face I recognized from corporate profile features.
May you like
Marcus stepped up to the security desk, looked at me, and then down at Mateo, who was quietly chewing on his thumb.
“Mr. Vale will see you now,” Marcus said quietly. “Follow me.”
