All Chapters of Shattered Mask: Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
82 chapters
CHAPTER 41
THE TERMS OF THE CONTRACTLinda and Leslie stood in the centre of the big floor, their heels clicking softly as they approached the desk. The man by the window did not turn around; he remained a silent, with his hands clasped behind his back, protecting his masterLinda smoothed her jacket, her heart beating a rhythm against her ribs. She was ready to deliver the speech she had rehearsed in the car. She tried to speak, to invoke Arthur’s name and re-establish her dignity, but Martin Harnes raised a single, silencing hand."The Chairman will not be speaking with you today," Harnes said, his voice flat and clinical. "He has a busy schedule, and frankly, your presence here is a kind gesture he is extending under severe protest. He has instructed me to conduct this meeting and deliver his final terms. You will listen, you will not interrupt, and you will decide if you wish to survive. " Harnes said with a strict face that matched easily with the straight face he was carryingLinda’s s
CHAPTER 42
BE READY FOR JAILMartin Harnes reached into the side drawer of his massive desk and produced three identical, heavy-stock leather folders. He laid them side-by-side on the marble surface with a deliberate, coordinated thud that sounded like a judge’s gavel."These are the final instruments of the agreement; they contain all the terms I have laid out, and more." Harnes said, his voice dropping into a formal, quiet tone. "The Rothwell-Smith Provisionary Covenant. It contains every detail of the thirty-million-dollar reinstatement, the ninety-day probationary window, and the behavioural clauses we discussed. I am presenting two of these to you now. I want you to read every line. Do not skim. Do not assume. Understand exactly what you are binding your lives to." Harnes saidHe stood up, adjusting his tie. "I am going to give you some privacy. I have commanded the security detail to wait in the hall. You have the room. Take the time to realise that once your signatures touch these
CHAPTER 43
A PROFESSIONAL BULLYLinda swallowed hard, the weight of the folder in her hand suddenly feeling like lead. "We won't default, Martin. We are professionals." She replied"See that you are," Harnes replied, gesturing toward the door. "The car is waiting downstairs to take you back to your estate. I suggest you begin staffing immediately. You have an event to prepare for on Friday evening. The details will be sent to your secure server within the hour." Harnes said"Friday?" Leslie gasped. "That is only three days away""The Rothwells do not wait for the convenience of their servants," Harnes said, already looking down at his next set of papers. "You may leave." He commanded themLinda and Leslie walked out of the penthouse, the thick carpets muffled by their footsteps. They felt a strange mixture of triumph and terror. They were back, but the world they were returning to was now a cage made of gold and legal threats.As they stepped into the elevator, Linda clutched the folder to
CHAPTER 44
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST, NO SHAME FOR THE POOR MANLeslie looked at her mother in shock. "What do you mean, 'within our means'?" She asked in confusion"I mean no maids," Linda said, her voice like a hammer. "No cooks. No gardeners. No private security at the gate. We will clean our own floors. We will cook our own meals. We are going to sell our jewellery, Leslie, the Cartier, the Van Cleef, all of it. We keep only what is necessary to maintain the appearance of status when we are in the presence of clients. The rest goes to the auction block. " Linda said without looking at her.Leslie felt a wave of horror wash over her. To her, the flashy life wasn't just a luxury; it was the very air she breathed. The thought of the Smith mansion being run by just the two of them felt like a slow-motion car crash."And Bernard?" Leslie asked. "He will soon come home for vacation. He is expecting his tuition to be paid." Linda asked"Bernard is being withdrawn from the university," Linda sa
CHAPTER 45
HERE TO SEE A USELESS HEROBACK IN THE ROTHWELL TOWER, OFFICE OF HARNESThe sleek, silver-tinted doors of the elevator hissed shut, carrying Linda and Leslie Smith down to the street level.Martin Harnes remained seated behind his desk, staring at the leather-bound folder containing the signed contracts. He didn’t look like a man who had just closed a multi-million-dollar deal; he looked like a man who had just finished setting a sophisticated trap.A side door clicked open.Jack stepped into the room. He was still wearing the charcoal-grey driver’s uniform, the cap tucked under his arm. But the submissive posture he had maintained for four years was gone. He walked with grace, his eyes bright with a sharp, cold intelligence. A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, a smile that never would have reached his lips in the Smith household."They signed?" Jack asked, with a smileHarnes looked up, his professional mask slipping to reveal a deep-seated respect. He gestured to the s
CHAPTER 46
THE VULTURE SHOOED AWAYTHE SMITHS, HEADED TO THEIR MANSIONThe drive back to the Smith estate was done in a heavy silence, broken only by the noise of the running engine of the car and of the tyres rubbing against the pavement and the occasional deep breaths from Leslie as she stared at the legal folder in her lap. To the world, the Smiths were still the occupants of a fifteen-million-dollar limestone fortress. Inside the car, they were two women clinging to a thirty-million-dollar anchor that felt more like a weight than a lifeline.Leslie turned her head to look at her mother. Linda’s profile was sharp, her eyes fixed forward with focus. The transition from desperate victim to calculating manager had happened in the span of an elevator ride."Mom," Leslie said softly, her voice wavering. "What about Robert? He was not at the meeting. Harnes didn't mention his name once. If the Riverworth deal is dead and the Rothwells have the deed to his penthouse… then he is homeless. He has
CHAPTER 47
MORE WEIGHT ON THE BARThe line went dead with a finality that made Leslie flinch. Linda stared at the phone for a second before tossing it back into the console. Her hand was shaking slightly, but her face remained a mask of obsidian resolve."He is angry," Leslie whispered. "Mom, we just made an enemy of one of the most powerful liquidators in the state.""He was never a friend, Leslie," Linda said, turning the car onto their street. "He was a scavenger. Scavengers only bite when they think you are dead. Now he knows we are still breathing."They pulled up to the gates of the mansion. To any passerby, it looked the same, stately, imposing, and magnificent. But as the gates opened, the lack of a security guard to nod as they passed felt like a missing tooth in a beautiful smile.The driveway was empty. The lights in the windows were dim. As they stepped out of the car, the silence of the estate hit them like a physical blow. No gardener was trimming the hedges. No maid was waiting
CHAPTER 48
THE LIABILITY GETS A CHANCE"Mom, look at him," Leslie argued, her eyes darting through the glass to where Robert sat, looking broken and dejected. "He walked five miles in those shoes. He has nothing. If we throw him out now, he is on the street. He will be picked up by the police, and then the scandal will be even worse. " Leslie said, pleading on behalf of Robert."Let the police have him," Linda whispered harshly. "He is a liability. We are technically broke, Leslie. We are selling our jewellery tomorrow just to keep the lights on and pay the tax man. We cannot feed another mouth, especially one that brings a target on its back. The Rothwells still have their eye on him, and that will not be good for us. " Linda fired back"He is the father of my child, Mom," Leslie said, her voice dropping into a tone of raw, maternal desperation. It was the first time she had used the pregnancy as a shield rather than a bargaining clause. "Whatever he did, whatever he lost... the child nee
CHAPTER 49
THE NEW LABOUR TEAMThe moonlight filtered through the high, uncurtained windows, casting long, barred shadows across the floor. They had just finished their dinner, and Linda had called for a quick, urgent meeting with them before any of them went to bed.Linda stood by the mahogany mantle, her silhouette sharp and rigid.Before her sat the remaining humans of her world: Leslie, clutching her stomach as if to protect her unborn child from the coming storm. Bernard, slumped in a chair with the shell-shocked expression of a boy whose golden future had just evaporated, and Robert, the broken titan, was nursing his blistered feet in the shadows of the corner.Linda did not offer comfort. She offered a new manifesto of survival, telling them how to live their lives now."Listen to me, and listen well," Linda began, her voice dropping into a low, terrifyingly calm tone"There is some money hitting our account tomorrow..." Linda said and paused, and without waiting for a response, she con
CHAPTER 50
TIME TO SELL THE WEALTHThe morning light that filtered into the grand lobby of the Smith mansion was no longer a warm, welcoming glow; it was a cold spotlight. The air was stagnant, the climate control having been dialled down to a shivering minimum to save on the utility bill.Linda stood at the foot of the sweeping staircase. She was dressed in a simple, sharp suit, one of the few she hadn't yet chosen for a high-end shop. In her hand, she held a velvet-lined briefcase."To the lobby. Now," her voice rang out, echoing through the hollowed-out ribs of the house.One by one, the residents of the bunker emerged. Bernard came first, his eyes red-rimmed from a night of staring at the ceiling of a room he could no longer afford to inhabit as a prince. Leslie followed, her movements sluggish, her hand protectively cradling her midsection. Finally, Robert limped into view, his face a map of exhaustion, still wearing the wrinkled shirt from the day before."The appraiser will be at the