Apocalypse: Survivor-in-Law

Zero Resistance

"Call the police right now."

​Victor pointed a shaking and furious finger directly at Malcolm. His face was entirely red with blistering rage.

​"I want this homeless fraud arrested for disrupting a public city auction," Victor screamed at the board members. "He does not have ten million dollars. He is a pathetic beggar."

​The head auctioneer nervously reached for his desk phone. He was intimidated by Victor and did not want to lose the billionaire heir as an investor.

​Before the auctioneer could dial, the doors of the boardroom swung wide open.

​Arthur Hensley walked into the room. He was the senior regional director of the National Central Bank. He was flanked by two heavily armed bank security officers.

​Victor immediately smiled in triumph. He recognized the senior bank director instantly.

​"Arthur," Victor shouted loudly. "Thank god you are here. This absolute trash is trying to forge financial documents at a city auction."

​Victor walked aggressively toward Arthur. He pointed back at Malcolm with a deeply arrogant sneer.

​"Tell these board members that this loser is completely broke," Victor demanded. "Tell them his account is entirely empty so we can throw him in a jail cell."

​Arthur stopped walking. He looked at Victor Hargrove with an expression of pure and unadulterated disgust.

​Victor was a minor client who held thirty million dollars at the bank. He was a loud and obnoxious rich kid.

​Malcolm was a hidden mega billionaire holding three billion dollars capital.

​Arthur completely ignored Victor. He did not even offer the arrogant heir a polite greeting.

​Arthur walked directly past Victor and stopped exactly two feet in front of Malcolm.

​Then the senior regional director of the largest bank in the country bowed entirely at the waist.

​"Mr Drayton," Arthur said. His voice was incredibly respectful and loud enough for the entire room to hear. "I brought the secure verification protocols you requested."

​The entire boardroom fell into a stunned and heavy silence.

​Victor froze completely. His outstretched hand dropped slowly to his side. He stared at the bowing bank director in absolute confusion.

​"Arthur what are you doing?" Victor stammered. His voice suddenly lacked all of its previous arrogant power. "He is my ex's husband. He is a live-in servant."

​Arthur turned his head and glared viciously at Victor.

​"Keep your mouth completely shut Mr Hargrove," Arthur snapped. His tone was laced with absolute venom. "You are speaking to our most valued premier client. Show some respect or I will personally close all of your bank accounts today."

​Victor felt the blood entirely drain from his face.

​Arthur walked over to the auctioneer desk. He plugged a secure encrypted tablet directly into the main projector system of the boardroom.

​"The National Central Bank officially guarantees the bidding power of Mr Malcolm Drayton," Arthur announced to the city officials.

​Arthur pressed a button on the tablet. The massive digital screen behind the auctioneer lit up brightly.

​It displayed Malcolm's verified checking account balance in massive bold green numbers.

​Three billion dollars.

​Victor stared at the massive projection on the wall. His legs instantly gave out from underneath him.

​He collapsed heavily into his leather chair. His breath came in shallow and frantic gasps.

​Three billion dollars in pure liquid spending power.

​Victor was currently worth thirty million dollars. His entire net worth was literally one percent of the cash Malcolm had sitting in a standard checking account.

​Victor was not even a speck of dust compared to the financial god sitting across from him.

​Caroline stood completely paralyzed next to the table. Her beautiful face was as pale as a fresh corpse.

​Her entire worldview shattered into a million jagged pieces.

​She had spent years treating Malcolm like a disgusting and useless parasite. She had eagerly divorced him yesterday to secure her future with Victor.

​She had thrown away a literal multi billionaire to sleep with a pathetic small time rich kid.

​The magnitude of her own greed and stupidity hit her like a speeding freight train. She felt violently sick to her stomach.

​Malcolm remained seated in his leather chair. He was terrifyingly calm.

​He looked directly into Victor's terrified eyes.

​"Thirty million dollars," Malcolm said smoothly. His voice echoed like thunder in the completely silent room.

​Malcolm raised his hand and looked at the stunned auctioneer.

​"My new bid is exactly thirty million dollars," Malcolm stated clearly.

​The board members stared at him in absolute awe. He was purposely overpaying by twenty five million dollars just to prove a point.

​Malcolm leaned forward and smiled a cold and dead smile at Victor.

​"I just spent your entire life value on a pile of ugly concrete," Malcolm said quietly. "You are absolutely nothing to me Victor."

​Victor opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. His massive ego was completely eradicated. He had been publicly humiliated in front of the entire city elite.

​The head auctioneer swallowed hard. He practically slammed his wooden gavel through the solid mahogany table.

​"Sold," the auctioneer shouted frantically. "The property is officially sold to Mr Drayton for thirty million dollars."

​Malcolm stood up gracefully. He buttoned his dark jacket and walked toward the exit. He did not spare a single glance for the two shattered villains sitting at the table.

​He walked out of the heavy double doors and stepped into the quiet marble hallway.

​He needed to contact his construction crew immediately. The apocalypse was exactly twenty nine days away.

​He heard desperate and frantic footsteps echoing behind him.

​"Malcolm please wait."

​Caroline ran out of the boardroom. Tears were streaming heavily down ruining her perfectly powdered face. She reached out and desperately grabbed his jacket sleeve.

​"Malcolm, we made a terrible mistake," Caroline cried. Her voice was trembling with pathetic desperation. "Victor manipulated me. He forced me to sign those divorce papers yesterday."

​Malcolm stopped walking. He looked down at the hand grabbing his sleeve.

​He remembered how she had casually typed a text message on her phone while he froze to death outside her window.

​Malcolm violently yanked his arm away. He brushed his sleeve exactly where she had touched him as if wiping away a disgusting disease.

​"Do not ever touch me again," Malcolm said. His voice was so utterly devoid of human warmth that Caroline recoiled in terror.

​He turned his back on her completely. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Ironcrest Holdings.

​"The property is officially secured," Malcolm said into the phone as he walked toward the exit. "Bring the heavy machinery right now. Start the geothermal drill immediately.”