Chapter 5 - The Mask SlipsThe silence that followed was heavy enough to crush bone.
Marcus Vance didn't flinch. Instead, he let out a low, amused chuckle, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt to reveal a gold Patek Philippe watch that outshone Ethan’s.
"Ethan, please," Marcus murmured, stepping just close enough that only Ethan could hear him. "Let's not play amateur detectives in a public charity ward. Your corporate intelligence team is good, but mine is better. We knew Hannah Whitmore was digging into our medical supply accounts months ago. We tried to buy her silence. We offered her a severance package that could have bought a small island. But she was stubborn—just like her unfortunate choice in former lovers."
Ethan’s jaw clenched so hard muscles popped along his cheekbones. "You pushed her."
"She slipped," Marcus corrected smoothly, his eyes flashing with a cold, mocking light. "A tragic accident on a slippery concrete staircase outside her apartment building. Wet pavement, poor lighting, a mother rushing home to her little girl. Happens every day in a city like this. The police have already closed the preliminary report."
"You murderous bastard," Ethan hissed, his fist rising before he caught himself. He knew that hitting Marcus in the middle of a hospital lobby would only play into their hands. Legal battles required finesse, and corporate warfare required total control.
"Careful, Ethan," Marcus warned, his voice hardening into a veiled threat. "Remember the merger. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, we sign the final contracts. Fifty billion dollars in combined market capitalization. Your board is counting on you. Your reputation is counting on you. If you make a scene... if you let a dying accountant and an illegitimate child derail the greatest deal of your career... well, let's just say the market can be very unforgiving to unstable CEOs."
Marcus patted Ethan patronizingly on the shoulder, leaning in close.
May you like
"Let her die on the table, Ethan. Sign the papers tomorrow. Keep your billions. Forget you were ever stupid enough to care about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. It’s what you’ve been doing for the last twelve years anyway."
With that, Marcus turned on his heel, flashing a warm, blinding corporate smile at the nurses behind the intake desk as he walked back out into the rain, leaving his bodyguards stationed at the exit like modern-day gargoyles.
