Chapter 4 - THE CORPORATE COLLAPSEThe silence in the ballroom was shattered by the shrill, discordant ringing of a cell phone.
It wasn't mine.
It was Robert’s custom gold-plated smartphone, vibrating violently against the mahogany cocktail table.
Robert jumped, staring at the screen with a furrowed brow. He pulled it out, swiping to answer while forcing an awkward, nervous chuckle. "Excuse me, gentlemen, probably just my chief financial officer calling about the quarterly tax filings—"
"Put it on speaker, Robert," I advised quietly.
"What? Lillian, stop playing games, this is a private—"
"Put it on speaker," I repeated, my tone shifting into the unmistakable cadence of a commanding officer issuing a direct order.
Something in my voice—or perhaps the terrifying stillness of Colonel Carter standing beside me—compelled Robert to obey. With trembling fingers, he hit the speaker button and held the phone up.
"Mr. Hayes! Mr. Hayes, thank God!" a panicked, breathless voice screamed from the speaker, echoing through the silent ballroom. "It’s an absolute disaster! The Department of Justice and the federal banking regulators just hit us simultaneously! All corporate accounts—frozen! Every wire transfer has been blocked, the Pentagon procurement contracts have been instantly terminated for national security breaches, and federal marshals are currently seizing the entire warehouse in Arlington!"
The phone slipped from Robert’s nerveless fingers, bouncing off the polished hardwood floor with a dull plastic clatter.
Color drained completely from Robert’s face. He staggered backward, his heels catching the edge of a velvet chair, sending him crashing awkwardly into a stack of empty glassware.
"No… no, that’s impossible," Robert whispered, clutching his chest as if he were having a heart attack. "We have government backing! We’re premier contractors! Who... who authorized this?!"
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I walked slowly toward him, looking down at my uncle with absolute, chilling indifference.
"I did, Uncle Robert," I said softly.
