Chapter 6 - The Shadows Strike BackBy noon, the news had broken across global financial networks: BENNETT EMPIRE IN CHAOS: HEIR DISCOVERED AMIDST CRIMINAL PROBE.
Harrison sat in his private office, trying to feed Olivia a bowl of soup he had ordered from a local diner because she refused the executive chef's gourmet meals. She was sitting in his massive leather executive chair, her tiny legs dangling far above the floor.
"You have to eat something, sweetie," Harrison urged softly, the alien word sweetie feeling awkward yet impossibly natural on his tongue.
"Is Mom coming back?" Olivia asked, staring down into her bowl.
Harrison’s throat tightened. He knelt beside the chair, taking her small, cold hand in his. "No, Olivia. Mom isn't coming back. But I promise you... I am never leaving."
Suddenly, the overhead lights flickered and died.
The entire fifty-story floor plunged into absolute darkness. The emergency generators kicked in three seconds later, but the automated smart-glass windows instantly frosted over, locking themselves from the outside.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Heavy footsteps echoed down the private executive corridor. Not the smooth steps of corporate executives, but the heavy, deliberate tread of tactical combat boots.
Harrison stood up instantly, pulling Olivia behind his desk. "Stay down. Under the desk. Don't make a sound."
The heavy oak office door didn't just open—it blew inward in a shower of splintered wood and brass bolts.
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Standing in the doorway was a man in an unmarked black tactical vest, holding a suppressed automatic rifle. Behind him stood two more armed mercenaries wearing night-vision goggles.
"Mr. Bennett," the lead mercenary said, his voice raspy through a communication mask. "The board sends its regards. And management says the child was never supposed to make it past the lobby."
