KICKED LIKE A DOG, RETURNED LIKE A HIDDEN HEIR

The Reckoning

Chapter Four: 

"RELEASE HIM IMMEDIATELY!"

Langston Parr's voice exploded through the marble halls like a thunderclap, causing every conversation to halt mid-sentence. The crystal chandeliers seemed to tremble with the force of his fury. The two security guards froze like deer caught in headlights, their grip on Alexander's arms loosening instinctively.

"What?" the first guard stammered, clearly not comprehending the sudden shift in power dynamics.

"I said RELEASE HIM!" Langston's voice rose to a roar that echoed off the polished walls. "Remove those handcuffs this instant or I will personally ensure you face the full legal consequences of assaulting a minor!"

The guards looked at each other uncertainly, then at Victoria, who had gone pale as fresh snow.

"Mr. Parr," Victoria began, her voice shaking as she tried to regain control of the situation. "There's been some misunderstanding. This... this conman was trying to—"

"CONMAN?" Langston's eyes blazed with righteous fury as he strode forward, his expensive Italian leather shoes clicking against the marble like gunshots. "How DARE you judge my client! Do you have any idea who this young man is?"

"Your client?" Victoria's voice cracked. "But he's just some street rat who—"

"STREET RAT?" Langston's voice reached a pitch that made several wealthy clients step back in alarm. "You ignorant, presumptuous fool!"

The first security guard finally fumbled for his keys, his hands shaking as he moved to unlock Alexander's handcuffs. "Sir, we were just following protocol—"

"Protocol?" Langston turned his fury on the guard. "Your protocol involves handcuffing and assaulting minors without cause? I'll have your jobs, your licenses, and anything else I can legally strip from you!"

The metal cuffs fell away from Alexander's wrists, leaving red marks where they had bitten into his skin. He rubbed his wrists, staring at Langston in complete bewilderment.

"Mr. Parr, please," Victoria pleaded, her earlier arrogance completely evaporated. "If we had known he was your client—"

"If you had known?" Langston's laugh was sharp and dangerous. "So you admit your treatment of him was acceptable only because you thought he was powerless?"

"That's not what I meant—"

"It's exactly what you meant, you vicious harpy!" Langston pulled out his phone, pointing it at Victoria like a weapon. "Smile for the camera, darling. I'm documenting every word of this conversation for the lawsuit."

Victoria's face went from pale to green. "Lawsuit?"

"Oh yes," Langston said with predatory satisfaction. "Assault, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress—and that's just the beginning."

He turned the camera toward the two security guards, who were backing away like scolded puppies.

"And you two gorillas," he continued, his voice dripping with contempt. "Handcuffing a minor without cause, using excessive force, destruction of personal property—I hope you enjoyed your careers in security because they're over."

"Sir, we were just doing our jobs—" the second guard protested weakly.

"Your jobs?" Langston laughed coldly. "Your job is to provide security, not to brutalize teenagers because they don't meet your dress code standards!"

Victoria made one last desperate attempt to salvage the situation. "Mr. Parr, you have to understand, he came in here claiming to have an account—"

"Claiming?" Langston's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper that somehow carried more menace than his earlier shouting. "He wasn't claiming anything, you ignorant woman. He was trying to access HIS account!"

"His account?" Victoria's voice was barely a squeak now.

"You presumptuous fool!" Langston exploded again, his composure completely shattered. "This is Alexander Morello, heir to one of our most prestigious accounts! The Morello Trust—fifty million dollars that has been waiting for him to claim!"

The watching crowd gasped collectively. Mr. Rothschild, the distinguished client who had been watching the drama unfold, stepped forward with wide eyes.

"The Morello Trust?" he whispered. "The one that's been sealed for years?"

"The very same," Langston confirmed, his fury still burning bright. "And these incompetent fools nearly had him arrested for trying to access his own inheritance!"

Victoria swayed on her feet as if she might faint. "But... but he looked like..."

"Like what?" Langston demanded. "Like someone who doesn't deserve basic human decency? Like someone you could abuse without consequences?"

"I... I didn't know..." Victoria whimpered.

"You didn't know because you didn't care to know!" Langston roared. "You saw a young man in modest clothing and decided he was beneath you! You treated him like an animal because you thought he couldn't fight back!"

He pulled out his phone again, this time dialing a number with sharp, angry movements.

"Charles? It's Langston. I'm standing in your lobby watching two of your employees destroy your bank's reputation... Yes, I'm serious... No, Charles, you need to get down here RIGHT NOW!"

The elevator dinged, and moments later, a distinguished man in his sixties rushed out, his face flushed with panic.

"Langston! What's going on here?"

"Charles," Langston said with icy calm, "meet your staff. This is Victoria, who called my client a 'pathetic conman' and a 'street rat.' And these are your security guards, who handcuffed and assaulted a minor."

Charles looked around at the scene—the broken phone on the floor, the red marks on Alexander's wrists, the crowd of wealthy clients watching with fascination.

"Oh God," Charles whispered. "Langston, please tell me this isn't what it looks like."

"It's exactly what it looks like," Langston replied coldly. "Your employees just committed multiple felonies against the heir to the Morello Trust."

"The Morello Trust?" Charles went white as paper. "The fifty million dollar account?"

"The very one," Langston confirmed. "And now I have to decide whether to sue your bank into bankruptcy or simply ensure these particular employees never work in finance again."

Victoria fell to her knees on the marble floor, tears streaming down her perfectly made-up face.

"Please, Mr. Parr! I'm sorry! I have children, I need this job! Please don't fire me!"

"You should have thought about your children," Langston said without a trace of sympathy, "before you decided to abuse a teenager for sport."

The first security guard stepped forward, his hands clasped in supplication.

"Sir, please, we made a mistake! We'll apologize, we'll do anything—"

"Anything?" Langston's smile was razor-sharp. "Then you can explain to your families why you lost your jobs because you couldn't resist bullying someone you thought was powerless."

Charles was already on his phone, his voice urgent and panicked.

"Security? I need you to escort Victoria Hemmings and guards Thompson and Martinez off the premises immediately... Yes, terminated effective immediately... No, don't let them back in to collect their things, we'll mail them."

"Charles, no!" Victoria sobbed. "Please! It was an honest mistake!"

"Honest?" Langston turned his cold gaze on her. "Was it honest when you called him a cockroach? Was it honest when you destroyed his phone? Was it honest when you told him to look in a mirror before entering places he'd never belong?"

Victoria's sobs grew louder, but Langston showed no mercy.

"Take photos of all three of them," he instructed Charles. "I want their faces circulated to every major financial institution in the city. They'll never work in banking again."

Within minutes, additional security arrived to escort the three disgraced employees out of the building. Victoria was still sobbing as they led her away, while the guards trudged out in sullen shame.

The crowd of wealthy clients began to disperse, whispering among themselves about the dramatic reversal they had just witnessed.

Langston turned to Alexander, who had been standing in shocked silence throughout the entire confrontation.

"Come, Mr. Morello," he said gently, his voice completely transformed from the fury he had just unleashed. "Let's discuss your inheritance in private."

He guided the shell-shocked teenager toward a private elevator, its golden doors opening silently at his approach.

As they stepped inside, Alexander finally found his voice.

"I don't understand," he whispered. "What's happening? Who are you? What's the Morello Trust?"

Langston pressed the button for the penthouse floor and turned to face the young man whose life had just changed forever.

"All your questions will be answered, Mr. Morello," he said with a slight smile. "But first, welcome to your new life."