Chapter 7 - THE RECKONING AT STERLING TOWER
The explosion blew the top three floors of the Tribeca penthouse into the night sky, but Robert, Lily, and Ethan were already deep in the subway tunnels below, cold, wet, and fueled by a burning desire for vengeance.
Robert sat on a concrete bench, holding Ethan close. His son was shivering, but he was alive.
"They think we’re dead," Robert said, his eyes turning into chips of flint. For the first time in years, he wasn't thinking like a businessman. He was thinking like a father whose cub had been threatened. "They are going to sign the Dover acquisition at Sterling Tower in four hours."
"We can't just walk in there," Lily said, her blue eyes flickering. Her skin was turning pale, almost translucent. Her system was running out of power. "Marcus has the entire security grid locked down."
"He has the security grid," Robert said, a dark, dangerous smile spreading across his face. "But he doesn't own the building. I do."
By 9:00 AM, the boardroom on the 49th floor of Sterling Tower was filled with the elite board members of Sterling Financial. At the head of the table sat Arthur Pendelton, Robert’s oldest partner and the mastermind behind the betrayal.
"With Robert’s unfortunate passing in last night’s tragic gas leak," Arthur said, adjusting his gold watch, "we will proceed with the Dover acquisition. This merger will secure our future in the next generation of defense technology."
"I wouldn't sign that paper if I were you, Arthur," a voice boomed from the boardroom speakers.
The board members gasped.
The massive double doors of the boardroom hissed open.
Robert Sterling walked in. He was dirty, his suit was torn, and his face was bruised. But he walked with the terrifying aura of a king returning to claim his throne.
Behind him, pushing the wheelchair, was Lily. And in the wheelchair sat Ethan.
"Robert?" Arthur stammered, his face draining of color. "You... you’re alive?"
"Marcus!" Arthur screamed. "Security!"
Marcus Vance and six armed guards stepped out from the shadows, raising their weapons. "I told you to stay dead, Robert."
"You should have checked my contract, Marcus," Robert said calmly. "I don't just own the building. I own the satellites."
Robert looked at Lily. "Do it."
Lily tapped her wrist.
Instantly, every electronic device in the room—laptops, tablets, phones, and the smart-glass windows—flashed with a massive data dump. Files, emails, wire transfers, and the voice recordings of Arthur Pendelton planning the ski "accident" and the assassination of Robert Sterling were broadcast live to the SEC, the FBI, and every major news outlet in the world.
"It’s over, Arthur," Robert said. "You're ruined."
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Marcus growled, raising his gun to shoot Robert. "I don't care about the board. I care about getting paid!"
But before Marcus could pull the trigger, Ethan stood up.
