FROM RAGS TO THE THRONE

Chapter Eight – When the Doors Close

The Kane Enterprises lobby had never felt this silent. The marble floors gleamed under the recessed lighting, the gold inlays on the walls catching faint reflections from the glass doors. But the glass was now hidden behind heavy ballistic shutters, sealed tight.

Security staff moved like a well-rehearsed drill team, rifles at low ready, eyes scanning every angle, On the 40th floor, Adrian stood at the head of the war table, watching the live feeds on the big screens. Gabriel’s SUVs were closing in.

Vivienne sat across from him, her tablet feeding a steady stream of intel. Marcus hovered by the door, his posture wound tight like a coiled spring. "ETA?" Adrian asked.

"Three minutes," Vivienne replied without looking up.

Adrian’s gaze shifted to Marcus. "You’ve got your team in position?"

Marcus nodded. "Two at the elevator banks, two in the service corridor, one watching the stairwell. If they get past the lobby, they’ll have to step over bodies to reach you."

"Good," Adrian said. "Let’s make sure they don’t."

Three floors down, in the sub-basement, the SUVs rolled into the private parking bay. The tires squealed slightly against the polished concrete as they came to a stop.

Gabriel Cross stepped out first, immaculate in a tailored navy suit. His presence was as sharp as a blade, his smile faint but dangerous.

Selena emerged behind him, wearing a long camel coat, her hair pinned back in a sleek knot. Her heels clicked on the concrete as she followed Gabriel toward the service elevator.

Two men in tactical black flanked them, each carrying suppressed rifles. "Clean," one of them reported after a quick sweep.

Gabriel glanced at Selena. "Stay close. He’ll want to rattle us. Don’t give him the satisfaction."

Selena gave the faintest smile. "I wasn’t planning to."

In the lobby, the service elevator chimed, The doors slid open, and Gabriel stepped out like he owned the building. His eyes swept the space, taking in the armed security, the shuttered entrances, the tension in the air.

"You’ve redecorated," he said dryly, his voice carrying easily in the quiet.

Marcus stood at the center of the lobby, blocking his path to the main elevator bank. "Weapons on the floor."

Gabriel didn’t move. "If I wanted to start shooting, you’d already be bleeding out on the marble."

Selena’s gaze flicked briefly over Marcus before she looked past him toward the upper floors, where she knew Adrian would be watching.

"We’re here for a conversation," Gabriel said. "Not a war. Yet."

Marcus’s jaw worked, but he stepped aside after a quick glance at the earpiece tucked under his collar.

Upstairs, Adrian turned from the feed and headed for the elevator, Vivienne looked up sharply. "You’re going down there?"

"If I make him climb forty floors to see me, it tells him I’m hiding. I’m not."

"Adrian"

But the elevator doors closed before she could finish.

The ride down was slow, each passing floor humming softly in his ears. Adrian kept his eyes on his reflection in the brushed steel doors. His expression was calm, controlled, but inside, he could feel that familiar pulse of adrenaline building.

When the doors opened, he stepped out into the lobby, Gabriel turned the moment Adrian appeared. "There he is," he said, his voice low but carrying the weight of ten years of unfinished business.

Adrian stopped a few paces away. "You came."

"You asked." Gabriel’s smile was razor-thin. "I’m nothing if not polite."

Selena’s eyes tracked between them. She could feel it, the gravity of two men who had been circling each other for years, each waiting for the perfect opening.

Adrian’s gaze flicked briefly toward her before returning to Gabriel. "Let’s talk upstairs."

Gabriel tilted his head. "Lead the way."

The elevator ride up was suffocating in its silence. Marcus and two guards stood tense, weapons ready. Gabriel stood relaxed, hands clasped loosely in front of him, as though he were a guest being escorted to a penthouse suite.

Selena didn’t speak, but her eyes never stopped moving, the mirrored panels, the positions of the guards, the placement of Adrian’s hands. She was building a map in her mind.

40th floor.

The doors slid open into the operations floor, but the lights were dimmed now, casting the space in deep shadows. The big screens still glowed, their light painting shifting patterns over the room.

Adrian walked to the center and turned. "This city isn’t big enough for the both of us."

Gabriel laughed once, short and sharp. "I thought you’d start with threats. Not clichés."

"This isn’t a threat," Adrian said. "It’s reality. One of us leaves the game. The other takes everything."

Selena stepped forward, her voice calm. "And if neither of you agrees to fold?"

Adrian’s eyes didn’t leave Gabriel. "Then the city will burn until there’s nothing left to take."

Gabriel’s smirk widened. "Then I suppose we’d better see which one of us burns slower."

The sound of the steel shutters locking over the 40th-floor doors echoed through the room, The game had just started. And now, nobody could leave.